What the Blind can See
by Wen Xin 11
Summary: "... is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see" by Mark Twain.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not owe KHR. It is rightfully Amano Akira's work.

The teenager's soft footsteps could be vaguely heard in the fluid silence of the chilly night. His black jacket that was swung over his shoulders swayed as the cool breeze rushed over him, at the same time messing up his raven black hair. The tiny pin holding on to his red armband on his left sleeve was threatening to come off. It was late and cold, yet the boy continued on his stroll in Namimori Park.

A yellow canary flew over to land on its master's shoulder, earning a small pat on its fluffy head. Hibari Kyoya glanced around his surroundings, hoping for undisciplined people to pop out and give him a chance to bite them to death, easing his boredom. He sighed, finding herbivores was not as easy as he thought. There was no point for him to go home now, for he was still fully awake and not tired and it would only make things more boring.

Hibari sat down on a bench, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked around, there was still not a soul in sight. He grumbled. Just then, his sharp eyes noticed a shadow lurking behind a tree opposite him.

He smirked and stood up. Maybe he finally found a target.

Black. That was all she could see. Black again. She had never seen something else apart from that, not even once. It was tough, living in a world of complete darkness. The only way for her to pull through was to use her other precious senses. Hearing, touch, smell…. It hurt, but what else could she do?

She grabbed onto something hard and rough for support, standing upright and trying to sense her surroundings. She was more afraid than usual, as tonight was really quiet, not even the sound of crickets was within her hearing range. Yet, she still had the desire to walk on her own and explore the world outside her home.

She could feel the chillness brought by the wind, and suddenly hear the tapping of someone's approaching feet…..

Hibari stopped and stared at the cowering figure. He didn't expect to see a little girl alone in the middle of the night.

'_How strange'_, he thought, _'and why is her right eye covered by an eye patch and her left eye looks rather cloudy….' _

Hibari could see that the girl was shivering under his gaze. But he was even more surprised by her question, "W-Who's there?"

Shouldn't she be asking "who are you?" instead? Hibari raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was blind or something because he was sure she could clearly see him-

Wait, or is she really….?

"….You're blind?" he asked. The girl blinked and slowly nodded, "y-yes…" She fidgeted in her position uncomfortably. But it made Hibari more confused. What is a blind person doing out here on her own? She didn't even carry a walking stick to guide her. She could get badly hurt. Hence, he pointed out his thought.

The girl replied hesitantly, "I'm bored at home. M.M. was busy and no one else was there to talk to me".

'_M.M.? Who's that?'_ Hibari sighed, "But it's not wise for someone like you to wander around on your own at this time. You could get hurt by any perverted herbivores. Or even people like me…"

She seemed to be amused when Hibari mentioned about the possibility of him harming her. She giggled, "I doubt that, Mister".

"Why?"

"I don't feel any dangerous aura from you. I trust my judgments and instincts. Even if you sound harsh, I still feel that you are a nice person" she blushed slightly at her words.

She was the first existing person to say that to him. Hibari was suppressing a chuckle, which he would never want anyone to hear for it would make him sound so pathetic, like a herbivore, according to his pride.

"Hm. What's your name?" he found himself asking.

The girl smiled shyly, "C-Chrome Dokuro. And you, Mister?"

"Hibari Kyoya."

"Hajimemashite, Hibari-san."

Even under the dim moonlight, Hibari was still able to see the appearance of Chrome. She had short, smooth purple locks in a funny pineapple hairstyle. Her skin was as white as the round plate in the dark sky. She was in a long sleeved shirt with the combination of pale green and yellow, a baby blue mini skirt and leggings. Her rosy cheeks added on to her cuteness. If her eye wasn't cloudy, she would have a large, beautiful purple eye.

"Chrome, Chrome!~" Hibari's little pet chirped out of the blue, causing Chrome to flinch at the new voice. The next moment she felt something plopped on her head. Reaching up to touch it, Chrome queried, "Ano…Hibari-san, what's on top of my head?"

"Hibird."

"Eh?"

"My pet bird."

"Hibari, Hibari!~" Hibird chirped again, bouncing excitedly on Chrome's hair. Chrome chuckled, and patted its feathers. "Why does your pet know how to speak?" Hibari shrugged, "when I first found him, he's already like that".

Hibird then sang the anthem of Namimori Middle School, much to Chrome's surprise. "Midori tanamiku~ Namimori no~"

"H-He can sing too?" Chrome exclaimed in disbelief.

"I taught him and he quickly picked it up."

"Wow, he's so smart!"

"Naturally" Hibari smirked proudly. He was amazed that Hibird had already taken a liking to this girl that they had just met, stirring up his interest in her. He frowned when he saw the time on his watch, 11.36pm.

"We should get going, herbivore. It's getting late" Hibari told Chrome.

"All right. I'll see you next time the-"

"Where do you live? I'll bring you back" Hibari was shocked after realizing what he just said. He wasn't usually the type that would offer his help easily, so why did he do so otherwise for this girl? Maybe because he felt uneasy to let her go home alone, considering her blindness? No turning back now since the words were already out.

"H-Hontoni?" Chrome gaped "Demo….it will be troublesome for you, won't it? I can go back on my own".

"No, like I said before, it's dangerous. Lead me to where you live."

Chrome trudged up the path holding onto the railing while grabbing onto Hibari's sleeve, towards the direction of her apartment. She certainly seemed familiar with the route, not stopping once except to check that Hibari was still there.

They finally stopped in front of an apartment called Namimori Hoshi.

"Why aren't you taking the lift?" Hibari asked when Chrome approached the stairs. "I don't know where it is" she answered meekly. "Come. I'll show you" Hibari held her wrist and led her to lift.

"When you enter the building, just turn left."

"I see. But I don't really need it since my home is just on the 4th floor" Chrome said.

"BAKA CHROME!" a red haired teenage girl yelled the instant Chrome rang the bell and the door was flung open, "Look at the freaking time! Why didn't you come back earlier?!"

"Gomen, M.M. I lost track of time" Chrome simply replied, as if she was used to the scolding.

"There goes that lame excuse again!" M.M. shouted with a pissed off mark on her face, "And who's this?"

Hibari was irritated with the loud noises and only glared at M.M., who did the same.

"Ah…this is Hibari-san. I met him at the park and he accompanied me home" Chrome explained.

"Hibari? Hibari Kyoya?" M.M. repeated. "Do you have a problem, herbivore?" Hibari hissed. "Why you-!"

"Eh? Do you know him, M.M.?" Chrome blinked.

"Of course! He's the infamous Head of Namimori Middle's Disciplinary Committee. All he does is bite people to death!" M.M. growled, shaking a finger at Hibari.

"Hmph. And you are going to be one of my victims, herbivore."

"Bring it on! Seriously, you and that 'kamikurosu' of yours!"

"Your job sounds amazing, Hibari-san" Chrome surprised Hibari yet again, looking at him in admiration instead of fear after knowing the truth.

"Yeah" he said monotonously and yawned, "I'm going home now". He started to walk away.

Chrome moved her hand in the air randomly, trying to feel where he was, "Ah! Matte!"

Hibari turned around and touched her shoulder. "Hibari-san" Chrome smiled, bowing, "Thank you for accompanying me back home".

Hibari unconsciously patted her head, "no problem, herbivore".

After making sure Chrome entered her home with M.M. and the door closed shut, Hibari strolled off, somehow looking forward to see this unique girl again soon.

Hajimemashite: Nice to meet you.

Hontoni: Really

Demo: But

Baka: Stupid/Idiot

Kamikurosu: I'll bite you to death

Matte: Wait


	2. Chapter 2

"Kyo-san" the vice chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Kusakabe Tetsuya, knocked and opened the door of the Reception Room, in other words, Hibari's office.

"Here is the last stack of paperwork for today" Kusakabe gently placed the papers that were almost as high as a small mountain on Hibari's desk, and quickly excused himself. Hibari glared at the horrible paperwork he had to finish, mentally cursing whoever sent them. He sipped his cup of aromatic Japanese green tea, clicked his fountain pen, and resumed working.

It was 5.00pm in the evening when Hibari had painstakingly completed his tasks. He left his other committee members to fill up any gaps in the work and conducted one last patrol around the school before he stepped a foot out of the campus.

He loved the school, something he swore he would protect with his life. That was why he always bit herbivores who dared disrupt the peace to death, and harshly made everyone follow the rules. Discipline was of utmost importance in his dictionary. But due to his cold and merciless personality, he was feared and avoided, no one dared to befriend him. He lived in his little world of solitude. It was lonely, but he still enjoyed it.

After beating up a few groups of gangsters along his way, the prefect remembered the girl he encountered the day before. He strolled toward the park, watching the fire ball hiding shyly behind the horizon.

~.~.~.~.~

Chrome sat on the playground's old swing, listening to the birds' melodious singing contest and the cars' rumble on the nearby road. She grabbed onto the metal chains of the swing, swinging every now and then. Yes, she had left home on her own again, recalling M.M.'s angry complaints and pouts before she was gone.

She closed her eye, memories of Hibari and Hibird flashing into her mind and making her smile. She hoped to meet them again, it was nice to have someone else to talk to when M.M. wasn't with her. "I wonder if they'll come here again" Chrome mumbled to herself.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Chrome shuddered at the sudden voice. Heavy footsteps travelled closer and closer to her. As she listened more intently, she could distinguish three different rhythms of footsteps, meaning there were three people altogether. She heard an admiring whistle, a chuckle that definitely came from a man, and the clapping of hands. Confused and nervous, she sat in tension and murmured almost to herself, "W-Who's there?"

"Aren't we lucky today? This is the first time I've ever seen such an adorable girl."

"You bet! Hey…Shall we pick on her, Boss?"

"Sure, I don't see the reason why not. She's a beauty after all" the man who was apparently the leader of the trio laughed sadistically, sending a chill down Chrome's spine.

"Who are you?" she asked again, her body starting to shake at the dark aura the men possessed, "I can't see. Please tell me what's going on".

She felt one of them placed his hand on her waist, "Come on, my sweet little angel. Play with us." The hand then trailed down to rub her thigh.

Alarmed, Chrome sub-consciously slapped the seductive hand on her leg away and kicked at what she thought was the pervert, as a groan of pain plus worried shouts of "Boss! You okay?" and "What the hell?" reached her ears.

"You b****!" another man grabbed her arm roughly and threw her hard onto the ground. "Kya!" Chrome yelped and before she could do anything else, the man yanked her up by her hair and punched her right across her cheek, splitting her lower lip a little. "Ngh….! Please, stop! Stop! I'll do anything! Just don't hurt me!" Chrome begged while she was continuously kicked in the stomach and the third guy joined in the beating. The boss was watching happily in the background, as if it was an exciting action movie filmed in the cinema.

Chrome cried hysterically, mentally wishing that someone, anyone, could come to her rescue. Her heart was pumping so fast that she thought it was going to jump out of her chest. Her body ached all over. When the gangsters stopped for a few seconds, she quickly sat up and put her arms over her head, protectively shielding her tiny frame. "Please! Stop it! I'll do anything, just don't hurt me…" Chrome pleaded pitifully again.

The boss was about to land the final blow, when he was hit on the back of his head by a metal object, knocking him out. His followers turned around, and in a twinkling of an eye, they were beaten to a pulp, lying unconscious on the ground.

"For harassment and unlawful violence to an innocent girl, you guys deserved to be bitten to death."

Chrome was too busy covering herself to notice that the commotion was over. She screamed when she felt someone touched her shoulder and scurried backwards, "Iie!"

"Herbivore, it's me. It's fine now" Chrome shot her head up upon hearing the familiar voice. "H-Hibari-san? Is that you?" she quivered.

"Who else? I've bitten them to death, they won't harm you anymore" Hibari helped her stand up, but she almost fell and had to lean against his chest. Chrome broke down in sobs, awfully relieved that Hibari had saved her. Hibari was not happy to see that she had been beaten so much. Her cheek was swollen, her lip was stained with a bit of blood, and worst of all, her left knee had a big bleeding bruise, probably caused by her previous fall.

Seeing that she was still frightened, he gave soft pats to her back, calming her down. Chrome looked so pale, like she was going to faint any minute. Hibari whacked his brains, trying to think of a solution, knowing that the top priority was to treat her wounds. An imaginary light bulb then flickered above his head. He carried Chrome up bridal style, and stepped angrily on the boss's palm before walking off.

~.~.~.~.~

Chrome rested comfortably on the bed as she waited patiently for Hibari to finish treating and bandaging her injuries. Her body felt the warmth from the blanket laid on it afterwards. She tilted her head to the right, where her 'doctor' sat.

"H-Hibari-san…" she whispered so softly that Hibari could barely catch it, "T-Thank you….for saving me…"

Chrome twitched when a warm hand lifted her up by the back of her neck gently. The cold tip of a glass touched her lips, and remembering M.M. telling her what this gesture meant, she opened her lips and swallowed the water that flowed through her mouth.

"Arigato, Hibari-san."

When she was placed back on the pillow, the assault that had befallen on her a while ago came into her mind. Chrome tried hard to fight back her tears but to no avail.

Slightly stunned, Hibari wiped away her tears rolling down her flushed cheeks. This somehow conveyed the message of security and comfort to her.

'_At least you weren't raped'_ Hibari thought, feeling rather guilty. If he hadn't decided to stop at a fast food restaurant and buy a hotdog, he would have arrived at the park and saved her sooner.

He tapped her hand with his finger, gaining her attention. "Do you know the contact number of your apartment, or that red haired herbivore's mobile number?"

Chrome thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't remember much, but M.M. said she had put a contact list in my purse".

"Do you have it now?"

"I think so…."

Hibari flipped over the blanket and discovered an indigo purse in her skirt's pocket. He unzipped it and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. There were the home and M.M.'s numbers listed. Perfect.

"Sleep now. I'll call that red head and tell her you will be staying here for tonight."

"N-Nani? I'm staying at Hibari-san's house?" Chrome uttered, thinking that she was hearing things.

"Yes. You are too weak to go home right now. I'll just inform that herbivore."

"Demo…M.M. wouldn't allow me to—"

"I'll make sure she does. Or I'll bite her to death" Hibari didn't even give her a chance to protest.

"I'm scared, Hibari-san. I-I don't want to be alone…" Chrome whimpered when she felt Hibari's presence leaving her side.

Hibari stroked her hair and leant over to her ear, "It's all right. I'll be here until you sleep."

Chrome nodded and closed her eye, slowly drifting to her dreamland while gripping onto to Hibari's fingers.

~.~.~.~.~

M.M. slammed her fist onto the kitchen counter, her hand itching to reach for the chef's knife, "WHERE ARE THOSE BASTARDS?! I'M GONNA KILL THEM!"

"I doubt you will still find them at the park. They have probably run off," Hibari's calm voice could be heard from the other end of the line, "Chrome is now asleep. She is safe. I plan to let her stay here until she has recovered".

M.M. hesitated a bit, but gave her approval in the end, "Fine. As long as you don't bite her to death! Or else I'll kill you instead!"

"I don't think you'll succeed."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Hibari yawned sleepily, and added, "If you understand already, I'm gonna hang up".

"Damn it, I have another debt to repay now…" M.M. sighed, but inwardly she was grateful to Hibari, "Take care of her, Hibari".

"I don't take orders from you."

"Grrr! You # *%~! Ah, shimata! My damn rice is on fire!" The line went dead. Hibari put down the phone and returned to his bedroom, his eyes softening as he watched Chrome's peaceful face. He took a seat on the bed, involuntarily his hand trailed up to caress her cheek. She looked more beautiful and innocent than he had first thought.

"Strange, why am I checking her out? Wait, where on earth am I supposed to sleep?"

~.~.~.~.~

Iie: No

Nani: What

Shimata: Crap


	3. Chapter 3

Hibari had faint eye bags under his eyes the next morning. He didn't have a good night's rest as the old mattress he slept on was like a rock and his back ached because of it. Usually whenever this happened, his mood would become very dull for the rest of the day and he would bite more people to death. Surprisingly, it didn't turn out like that today.

Was it because the girl in front of him was too cute for him to get annoyed at?

Chrome was obediently munching on a sandwich that Hibari made for her for breakfast at the dining table. Her eye was still red after her crying half an hour ago.

~.~.~.~.~

_The minute she pried open her eyelid, Chrome sniffed and cried, waking Hibari from his wanted slumber. Walking over to the bed, Hibari slid his hand into hers, a hint of concern in his voice, "What's wrong? Why're you crying?"_

_Chrome turned to his direction. "H-Hibari-san…sob Gomenasai…W-watashi wa hontoni gomenasai…sob,"and she continued to wail. "What for? You didn't do anything wrong," Hibari was confused by her apology when she was not at all at fault. _

"_I-If I have listened to M.M.'s advice to stay in the house and not wander around on my own, I would never have been a-attacked and would not cause you so much trouble and worry…"Chrome said through her tears, "I'm such a burden, no wonder they all hate me…I'm really sorry". _

_Hibari was at a loss of how to console this poor girl. She couldn't know or control what would happen, so she was not to be blamed. "Who would hate you?" he asked curiously, but the way he said it sounded as if he was indirectly saying 'You are too cute for anyone to hate you'. _

_Chrome bit her bottom lip sadly, "My mom and dad. They hate me. That's why they neglect me. They never wish for me to exist". Tears were threatening to overflow from her eye once more. Hibari raised an eyebrow at her answer. Her parents? Come to think of it, she only mentioned about M.M. whenever the subject of family was being brought up. Was it too painful to talk about them? What did they do to make her so upset?_

_He wanted to know more, but seeing her distressed state, he refrained himself from doing so. Understanding her family background could come later. Right now he needed to make her feel better and stop crying over whatever she believed she had done wrong. _

_~.~.~.~.~ _

Therefore, he decided to let her eat something and build up her energy. M.M. telephoned earlier at the wrong time at 8.30am when the two of them were still asleep, demanding Hibari to give her his house address and directions, claiming she wanted to come over to check on Chrome. Hibari reluctantly gave her the super weird and unclear instructions: 'walk straight, cross the road, turn right, walk straight, turn left, turn right, turn left and walk straight'. He swore he heard a "What the ****?!" before he hung up.

"Thank you for the food, Hibari-san," Chrome grinned at him prettily, rising an unknown feeling inside Hibari which he couldn't comprehend. Somehow he wanted to see her smiles more often, rather than her tears. He wanted her to be happy.

The doorbell rang out of a sudden, causing Hibari to glance out of the window. "What was that?" Chrome inquired. "The doorbell. Someone's here. Wait here while I get it," Hibari said, putting down his sandwich on his plate and standing up from his chair.

~.~.~.~.~

The first thing Chrome heard after a few minutes was M.M.'s frustrated shouts at Hibari who totally ignored her from the moment she stepped outside his gate all the way to the front sliding door of his traditional Japanese-styled house.

"I was running around in circles all because of your stupid directions! Why must you live in such a secluded place?!"

"I believe my instructions were already very straight-forward. Scold your useless herbivorous sense of directions."

"YOU ONE HELL OF A BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU, CHOP YOU INTO PIECES, FRY YOUR ORGANS AND FEED YOU TO WILD DOGS!" M.M. continued to throw insults at deaf ears.

"M.M….?" Chrome's lips curved up, glad that she was here again. M.M. knew she was going to apologise for not listening to and obeying her, so she swiftly covered her mouth, "Don't say anything, baka. You're safe, so stop thinking about the incident". Chrome smiled with a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"I brought you extra clothes. Change into them later," M.M. tossed a brown paper bag onto Chrome's lap. "Arigato," Chrome replied.

"I have work to do, so I can't stay here much longer. Don't you dare do anything to her, you hear me?" M.M. scowled at the uninterested prefect.

Soon after she left, much to Hibari's relief, he sat down across Chrome at the table. "Have you ever learnt Braille?" he questioned. "H-hai, M.M. and her late cousin had enrolled me in a Braille class in a school for the blind's distance learning course when I was young," she said, recalling how her slender fingers ran over the dots and lines of the system, "They helped me store the Braille learning materials and label writer in a bag I left at home".

Good. At least she had a head start. Understanding her wish to venture out into the world and learn new things, an idea popped up in Hibari's head.

"Change into your new clothes. We'll go out to the nearby market," he informed. Chrome's expression lit up and she shone such a bright smile that could make anyone's eyes went blind, "Hai!"

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari had a flair for cooking, especially Japanese cuisines. His culinary skills were of great standards and his food was simply heavenly, a feast for both the eyes and the mouth. Kusakabe had complimented his leader's cooking once when he tasted Hibari's homemade sushi. Hibari had fed Hibird some omelette bits and received mirthful chirps. They were the only ones who knew this secret, and they were given very Hibari-like threats so as not to spill the beans and shatter his pride as a strong, bloodthirsty carnivore.

Kusakabe's nerve-wrecking threat was 'I'll beat the hell out of you, force you to eat all my poisoned food, drain your blood, hang your skin on a tree to scare away herbivores from my territory and leave you to rot for eternity', and it was implanted _deep_ into his brain, so he would never forget. Hibird's one was 'I'll pluck off all your feathers and roast you for dinner or feed you to the cats' which was indeed very terrifying for a bird like him.

This was the scary reality of Hibari Kyoya, Head of the Disciplinary Committee.

Hibari had prepared a list of ingredients he planned to buy at the market for dinner tonight. Since he hated crowds like crazy, he only came to the place at this time when there were lesser people and shorter queues for purchase.

But today was special. He had brought along a girl who was holding onto his hand while he guided her around in the midst of his shopping.

"Round…smooth…oh, there's something like a stick on it," Chrome mumbled as she felt the shape of an apple with her hands. "Here's another fruit," Hibari passed an orange to her.

"Wow, this is_ really_ round. It's slightly rougher than the apple, and there's no stick poking out. What is it called again?"

"An orange."

"….Orange? I love orange juice!" Chrome squealed.

"Oh? You do? I'll get you some later, then."

"Really? Thank you, Hibari-san!"

Hibari had learnt a few things about Chrome from this trip.

1. She was a fast and enthusiastic learner.

She would fumble with the food items that Hibari introduced her to, examining their textures, shapes and structures, while paying eager attention to Hibari's explanations.

2. She was very polite.

She would bow and thank the vendors after each purchase. Hibari had glared at those who looked at her in dirty ways.

3. She was very kind and patient.

Upon hearing Hibari sighed impatiently, Chrome asked him, "What's the matter?" He replied, "The vendor's too slow". "Is he an old man? Because if he is, then I think we need to understand that his body's quite fragile and his movements tend to be slower. It's all right, we can wait and not rush him or he'll become more anxious," she showed a toothy grin. Hibari's heart melted slightly at her heartwarming words.

4. But due to her blindness, she sometimes caused embarrassing situations.

"Hibari-san, can you tell me what kind of meat I'm pointing at?" Chrome's index finger pointed straight in front of her.

"…It's a human, Chrome," Hibari said, earning an "Eh?" from her.

The elderly lady vendor who had been mistaken as a lump of meat sweat dropped in depression, "Oh my god…..I've grown so plump that I'm being called a lump of meat…Oh no no no no no…."Hibari dragged Chrome off hurriedly, not wanting to hear any more of the 'human meat' 's nonsense.

In the next stall which sold seafood, Chrome turned to her left and spoke, "Hibari-san, can we go please? I don't like the smell," but only got a pat on her right shoulder.

"Chrome, I'm here," Hibari sighed with his eyes closed.

The stranger that Chrome accidentally mistook for Hibari moved off uneasily, thinking that he just met an oddball. Hibari would have bitten him to death if he had voiced that out. After all, it wasn't Chrome's fault that she could not see, and it was not easy to rely on her hearing all the time.

~.~.~.~.~

"Hibari-san, where should I put your groceries bags?" Chrome said when they returned home after the tiring journey at the market.

"Just pass them to me," Hibari took the plastic bags that she had offered to help carry from her hands and transported them to the dining table with the ones he held.

"Drink your orange juice while I cook," Hibari instructed, passing Chrome's packet of orange juice to her, which she drank merrily.

"Hibari-san can cook?" she tilted her head to the side cutely.

"Don't look down on me," Hibari smirked, showing off a sparkling, proud air.

"I'm sorry," Chrome lowered her head, thinking that she just offended him.

"Don't be so inferior. I didn't mean it that way," The fifth thing that Hibari learnt about Chrome was she apologised too easily. "Eto…Hibari-san, may I please…play with Hibird?" what a funny request that was.

Speaking of the devil, Hibird appeared out of nowhere and bounced onto Chrome's palms. "Ah, there you are, Hibird," she smiled as she recognised the animal's soft feathers and lively "Chrome, Chrome!~".

~.~.~.~.~

The mouth-watering aroma of delicious katsu don and freshly cooked salmon slices served with miso soup diffused from the kitchen to the living room. Hibari was in the middle of arranging the bowls, plates and chopsticks on the table when his pet flew to him in a frantic manner. Sensing something was wrong, he rushed to the living room only to stare at a motionless figure lying on the floor.

"Chrome?" he lifted her up and gently slapped her cheek, "Hey, what happened to you?"

The girl seemed to be panting hard, looking so sick, "Argh…my head…it hurts…"

Hibari carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed, placing a damp towel on her forehead.

'_She's not having a fever. Is it a headache?'_

"Hibari-san, my head hurts…" Chrome's voice became muffled, as if she was having a sore throat.

"Sleep. Maybe your headache will disappear then," Hibari said, still trying to figure out the problem.

~.~.~.~.~

"Migraine?"

"So desu. That girl was born with a common type of headache that may occur with symptoms such as nausea, stress, sensitivity to light and loud noises. In other words, it is caused by abnormal brain activity," M.M. spoke into the receiver as she stir-fried the vegetables in the pan, "In her case, it can be serious to the extent that she may lose her stability and faint".

"It is common to see her like this?" Hibari asked, thinking that M.M. must have did some research on the chronic neurological disorder.

"Well, her illness has improved over the years. It happens only occasionally now," she then face palmed herself, "Damn it! I should have brought her medicine along with her clothes when I came to your house earlier!"

"You forgot even though you have been living with her for so many years? What kind of herbivorous joke is that?" Hibari chided her.

"OIIII! WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK I AM? I'M A HUMAN TOO, OKAY! I FORGET THINGS NOW AND THEN! I'M NOTHING LIKE A STUPID ALIEN LIKE YOU!" M.M. boomed at the top of her lungs, and Hibari needed to keep the receiver _far_ away from his ear in order not to burst his eardrum.

"Keep your volume down, idiotic herbivore. You're too noisy," Hibari was amazingly trying not to throw a tantrum and smashed the phone into pieces.

"HUUUH?! YOU PIECE OF TRASH! I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna strangle you, stuff shit into your mouth and bury you alive—!"

Hibari slammed down the phone before M.M. could even complete her threat. Checking that Chrome was still asleep with no signs of having migraine, he went off to cover her untouched dinner with cling wrap and store it in the microwave oven.

~.~.~.~.~

Gomenasai: I'm sorry

Katsu don: Pork with rice

So desu: That's right


	4. Chapter 4

"_Konbawa, sir. Are you Chrome Dokuro's otosan?" _

"_Yes, but I wish I weren't."_

"_Dear!" a woman with wavy long hair and small purple eyes approached the man in suit hastily, "Chrome's been in a bad car accident when she tried to save a neko". _

"_Hmph. Because of her, I have to ditch an important business talk. I heard that her organs were damaged and she lost her right eye as well," her husband stated coldly. _

"_Geez! She's always causing us so much trouble! Might as well leave her be," _

"_Hey, the doctors said she can be saved by transplanting organs of the same blood type to her."_

"_Are you kidding me? I'm not going to let them cut my body for that girl!" the woman crossed her arms stubbornly, "I don't understand how her mind works! She's blind, can't do things by herself and is such a burden. Nobody wishes for her to keep living. Why did I give birth to such a useless daughter?" _

"_Oi, Chrome can hear you, you know."_

"_How can she? She's locked up in the Intensive Care Unit." _

"_Suit yourself. I'm going back to the office. Do whatever you want."_

"_C-chotto matte, dear!" _

_Behind the white doors, the seven year old, bedridden girl cried in silent pain as she realised that her parents just abandoned her to be kidnapped from the world by the grim reaper. _

_~.~.~.~.~_

Hibari reflected on the heartbreaking past of Chrome in which she had opened up to him last night after she woke up and ate her katsu don. She had stained Hibari's shirt again with her tears while he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Silence was sometimes louder and more meaningful than words. He need not shower her with sweet phrases of comfort. His style was just to stay beside her. His warm presence was all she yearned for.

"Hibari-san, I'm done," Chrome's voice snapped Hibari back to reality. He took a peek at her and abruptly turned away. Why? They were in the bathroom, and the poor prefect was in charge of assisting Chrome to bathe! She was blind and required help, but still it was absolutely embarrassing for a boy to see a girl naked!

Hibari had to shut his eyes when removing her clothes before she could step into the bath tub. Luckily, Chrome was independent enough to wash herself and only needed Hibari to wear her clothes and walk her around to the sink or toilet bowl. For a moment, Hibari was glad that she couldn't see because he swore there was a quite visible hue of blush on his cheeks. But it worsened whenever his fingers brushed across her milky skin, and he was resisting the little perverted voice at the back of his head which irritatingly aroused his urge to peep at her slender body.

"_C'mon, a small peek won't hurt."_

"_Shut the hell up, you hentai."_

"_Just look a bit, Kyoya!~ See if her chest is flat or not,"_ _his eyes were twitching to fling open._

"_ARRRRRGH! DAMARE!" _

"? Hibari-san?" Chrome repeated.

"Ahem, right," Hibari coughed, noticing that she had already cleaned and wrapped herself with the bath towel. M.M. must have taught her how to do that. He took her clothes from the hanger and began dressing her up.

"How was it, Hibari? Tough, isn't it?" M.M. teased him when Hibari and Chrome entered the living room. "Shut up," Hibari snarled, "Why are you here anyway?"

"I told you I would bring Chrome's medicine. Here," she handed over the plastic bag containing the bottles of medicine which Chrome detested so much. Chrome pouted, "I'm fine now, M.M.". "What if it happens again? Keep it for emergency. Then Hibari Kyoya wouldn't call late at night begging me to explain to him what to do".

"Since when did I _beg_ you, herbivore? I _demanded_," Hibari emphasized on the correct use of words on him.

"Che, whatever. I'm off. Ja ne!"

Last night, Hibari had also found out about M.M.'s true identity. She was Chrome's cousin who lived with her in the mansion that Chrome's wealthy parents once owned in Kokuyo after her parents passed away. She had taken the initiative to take care of Chrome since Mr and Mrs Dokuro refused to do so, with the excuse of their heavy work load. M.M. was employed as a part-time worker in a sales department too. In order not to contribute too much to the weight on her cousin's shoulders, Chrome worked hard to learn to depend on herself as she braced through the challenges in life.

Chrome knew better that behind M.M.'s rough and slightly rude attitude was her way of affection and concern toward her which many of her relatives lacked. She was the only person who would give a damn about her welfare. That was why Chrome loved her to bits.

~.~.~.~.~

"Ah, I wore these clothes before," Chrome mumbled to herself, "M.M. spent so much of her time to make it for me. I still don't think numerous 'thank you's are enough". Her hands clutched onto her white blouse with pink long sleeves and a round-edged collar, slowly moving down to play with the helm of her saffron three-pleated skirt.

"Let's go, Nagi," Hibari spoke up while tying his sports shoes' shoelaces.

"Eh? What did you say, Hibari-san?"

"I can call you Nagi, can't I?" he replied but it seemed more like a statement than a question, "'Chrome' is sometimes hard to pronounce".

"Oh, soka. It's a nickname for me. Sure, 'Nagi' sounds kind of cute," she beamed.

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari really wanted to throw stones or crash against those annoying impatient drivers who kept honking their horns in a traffic jam. The deafening noises were irking him more than others as he had no window to shut out some of them on his motorcycle. He hated it more as the sounds were making his partner who was hugging his waist behind him tremble.

"Hibari-san, it's too loud in here."

"Can't help it. We're in the middle of a traffic jam. Will this trigger your migraine?"

"N-Not really. But I don't like it. It feels so crowded. You hate crowds too, right?"

"Of course. But I've to tolerate in this case."

After what felt like an eternity, they were finally freed from the hellish traffic jam. Nagi smiled as she leant her face against her companion's back, enjoying the gush of wind that flirted with her purple strands of hair as the vehicle zoomed ahead.

~.~.~.~.~

The motorbike reversed into the narrow parking space. _'Good, I'm far from the other herbivores,'_ Hibari smirked in satisfaction at the _wide_ distance between him and the other motorists, almost similar to the difference in height from the bottom to the top of Mount Everest. It was as if getting near to other people would cause this aloof cloud to develop hives for weeks. Aiyo….

Hibari jumped off the motorcycle and carried Chrome down onto her feet like a princess. He grabbed her hand and marched off to the Namimori Shopping District.

'_I can't believe I'm here on my own accord. What's gotten into me?'_ Hibari quietly sipped his coconut juice while he watched Nagi chew on her dessert elatedly. For a small girl like her, it was impressive that she had a big appetite for cakes. Hibari had ordered for her a chocolate fudge cake, strawberry shortcake and some cookies which she insisted that she share with him, plus an additional tall glass of orange juice.

6. She had a fondness for cakes, chocolate and orange juice.

"Eh? Where is it? The piece that I dropped," Nagi scanned her plate with her fork, making _squeaky_ sounds that were forms of torture.

Hibari swiftly stopped it by directing her hand to poke onto the cake and bring it to her mouth. "Arigato," she giggled, and reached out for a cookie, "Here, Hibari-san".

Hibari blushed a little at her gesture of wanting to feed him, so he just pulled her wrist closer and ate the cookie while looking away, sending death glares to the other consumers in the shop who laughed at them.

"Hibari-san, I think there's some money in my purse. You don't have to pay for everything," Nagi tugged at his sleeve. "That's too troublesome, I'll just treat you…" Hibari considered his words, not knowing whether they were appropriate or not. Nagi sighed, there was no point in arguing with him because she would definitely lose. All she could do was to say, "Thank you".

Hibari stared intently at the gorgeous cakes in the display case, then back at Nagi who had the habit of biting her lower lip. Nagi heard him talk to the cashier, "One mango mousse, oreo cheesecake and tiramisu".

"Hibari-san, what are you doing?"

"Ordering more cakes for you so that you can eat them at home."

Chrome gasped in surprise, "Honto? Really for real?" Her adorable puppy eyes twinkled as bright as stars at him and blood rushed up to his ears, "Thank you so much!" Before he could react, she had tackled him in a bear hug that he had to step backwards to regain his balance. Chrome's smile could probably allow her to consume a banana sideways, and Hibari secretly hoped that she could maintain her cheerful demeanour, but he was disappointed at the same time. Her action made him feel that she had not eaten her favourite food for a long period and she missed it dearly. Wasn't that too sad? For him, he could just purchase hamburgers as often as he wanted.

"….." Hibari awkwardly returned her hug and leant his chin on her head.

~.~.~.~.~

"Ite!" Chrome winced suddenly when they were strolling along the shopping district.

"? What's wrong?" Hibari halted in his tracks.

"My foot hurts…I don't know why…" she twiddled her toes.

Hibari knelt down and let her sit on his thigh while he checked her foot. It had blisters and red patches caused by her worn out slippers. He carefully removed her shoes and carried her up by his back.

"H-Hibari-san?" Chrome gripped on his broad shoulders tightly, fearing that she might fall.

"Your shoes are old. I'll buy you a new pair," he glanced back when he heard her whisper, "Piggy back ride… It's nostalgic…" It could have been his imagination, but Hibari saw sorrow in Nagi's cloudy single eye. "….Daijoubu, Nagi?" he enquired.

"Ah! Hai! Let's go, Hibari-san!" she flashed a grin, as if nothing happened. Hibari decided that bombarding her with questions was not the best option as it would only intensify the gloom in her eye, so he just left it at that for now.

In the shoe shop, the saleswomen were kindly recommending some shoes to Chrome which she experimented on. It took longer than Hibari expected, because some were too large or not able to fit her entire feet at all, and sometimes Hibari rejected the designs.

"How about this one?" a lady put on a pair of velvet violet shoes with ribbons to Nagi's feet.

"It's comfortable," she nodded her head, "What do you think, Hibari-san?"

"Hmm… Good. If you like it, I'll pay for it."

"Demo, it's really expensive!" Chrome protested.

"It's better than you walk around in bare feet right?" Hibari had already passed the papers of cash to the manager.

~.~.~.~.~

The tablecloth above their heads had transformed from blue to shades of red, orange and yellow, and the moon had started to replace the sun for its night shift by the time they alighted from the motorbike parked in the lawn of the house. Hibird popped into sight out of thin air and sang the Namimori Middle's anthem as a greeting.

Hibari was checking his mailbox when he felt someone's arms wrapped themselves around his waist from the back.

"Thank you for everything, Hibari-san. I don't know what I will do without you," Nagi smiled genuinely with an almost red face.

If it was someone else, Hibari would have shoved that person who got the nerves to touch him away without second thought, because his _personal space_ was very precious. However, it was Nagi, the girl he grew to know just days ago, and he couldn't help but curve his lips upwards.

He suspected that he was being manipulated or something, for the next instant he released himself from her hold, cupped her cheeks and _planted a light peck on her forehead_.

"You're welcome, Nagi."

~.~.~.~.~

Konbawa: Good evening

Otosan: Father

Neko: Cat

Chotto matte: Wait a minute

Hentai: Pervert

Damare: Shut up

Ja ne: See you

Soka: I see

Ite: Ouch

Daijoubu: Are you all right/okay?

Yeah, I switched Chrome's real name to 'Chrome Dokuro' and 'Nagi' as the nickname Hibari gave her.


	5. Chapter 5

If a person just kissed someone on the forehead or cheek or whatever, he or she would probably act uncomfortable and awkward when in that someone's presence. But Hibari Kyoya wasn't _that normal_. His behaviour remained unchanged when around Nagi, treating the incident like a weird dream. His usual smirks, grumbles, coldness and that catchphrase of his were still attached to him.

The reason why he was banging his forehead against the concrete wall of the bathroom right now as if he had gone mad was he had _accidentally _spotted Chrome's breasts! He cursed his uncontrollable urge to shut out his itchy eyes completely.

"_Damn it…. I'm becoming a pathetic herbivore and a pervert. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"_ it was tough to wipe off the silly crimson colour on his face.

"Hibari-san, are you all right?" Chrome said worriedly.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Hurry up and bathe," maybe he should use a blindfold next time.

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari finally returned back to his normal composed self as he examined Chrome from head to toe, making sure that her clothes were neat and smart.

She wore the Namimori Middle School's female uniform, which comprised of a dark blue vest over a white blouse with a skirt, a red ribbon tied at the collar, and socks that covered her legs up to her knees. She looked so cute that any man would drool or nosebleed at this sight, but Hibari wasn't like that so his expression remained indifferent.

"Ano… why am I wearing your school's uniform?"

"I'm taking you to my school for a visit. You can't go in non-school attire," Hibari replied. The day before, he had commanded Kusakabe to deliver a set of Nami Middle's female uniform for Chrome, which he found in his mailbox. It was not like he stole the outfit and kept it secretly in his closet, as that would make him an even bigger pervert.

Nagi leapt into the air in exhilaration upon hearing the good news before getting led to Hibari's motorcycle.

~.~.~.~.~

Kusakabe greeted in respect as he ushered Hibari into the Reception Room, "Ohayo, Kyo-san. Oh, and this is…" All the other committee members ceased their activities as they stared at the newcomer.

Chrome huddled close behind Hibari while grabbing onto his arm, not used to the unfamiliar surroundings. Hibari patted her hair, "It's fine. Introduce yourself, Nagi".

"W-Where are they?" she asked so that she would know where to face.

"Just in front of you."

"O-Okay," she bravely stepped beside Hibari and bowed, "K-Konichiwa. Watashi wa Chrome Dokuro desu. Hajimemashite…."

Kusakabe smiled and extended his hand to her, "Please to meet you too, Dokuro-san. I'm Kusakabe Tetsuya, Vice Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee".

Chrome returned the hand shake and beamed shyly, "It's all right. You may call me Chrome". Hibari narrowed his eyes, appearing rather displeased as if he was jealous that another man who was merely an acquaintance could use her first name casually.

The members were quite amused that their leader, an extremely anti-social introvert had voluntarily brought in a girl whom they learnt was blind and acted like a gentleman for once. But they didn't have the guts to question him.

Kusakabe treated Hibari and Chrome to some tea and cream buns before handing some important paperwork to Hibari. In between his reading, writing and signing, Hibari transferred the knowledge of Nami Middle's rules and regulations to Nagi who stayed as focused as a qualified student, also indulging her in his duties and patrols as a prefect in his daily routine.

"Excuse me, Kyo-san. But you have a visitor," the second-in-command spoke up.

"Who is it—?"

"YOOO, KYOYA!" Hibari's eyebrow twitched when that stupid voice travelled to his ears. He lashed out his tonfas and sent one of them twirling toward the visitor. The said person barely dodged it as it crashed into the wall behind him.

"Hey! Is that the way you should greet me?! You haven't grown up even a bit— GAH!" the blonde carelessly tripped over his own foot and fell face flat onto the floor. "Ite, ite, ite…" he rubbed his nose and staggered upright. He brushed off the dirt on his green furry jacket and pushed back his fringe as he pulled a sparkling, smiling face coolly, "Hi there, minna". Any fan girl would scream and faint from the loss of blood from their noses at his handsomeness, but unfortunately the room only contained _men_ and the rose among the thorns could not see him. Poor guy….

Hibari growled at him, "What the hell are you doing here, bucking bronco?"

"Geez! Can't you even say a proper 'hi' to me? I came all the way from Italy just to visit my student!" Dino pouted.

"I never asked you to do that. And since when did I become your student?"

"What?! Remember I was your sparring mentor two years ago— AH!" he ducked down in panic as another tonfa flew over his head, "OI! What do you think you're doing? Trying to disfigure my good-looking face?! I won't forgive you if you do!"

Hibari glared daggers at him with a look that resembled the message _'if you tell anyone about that, I'll bite you to death'_, causing Dino to grow goosebumps all over his body. He then felt a tug at his sleeve, and faced a confused Nagi.

"Hibari-san, what's going on? Who are you talking to?" her eyebrows were creased in a frown, and Hibari mentally reprimanded himself for leaving her out. He murmured an apology that could only be heard by her and said, "I was talking to the idiot bronco. To other herbivores he's known as Dino".

"Oh my god! Kyoya, this is the first time you said my name! I'm totally blessed!"

"Iie, I was merely explaining things to her," Hibari hissed back.

"Her?" Dino raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the couch, gaping when he saw an unknown girl, "W-Who's that? D-Don't tell me…. Kyoya, she's your _girlfriend_?!"

Hibari face palmed as his men comically tumbled to the floor, "No, she's just a fri— someone I know". He almost called Chrome his friend even though that was exactly what she was. He just wanted to avoid humiliation and changed his choice of words. Kusakabe, however, noticed this and chuckled to himself, _'Kyo-san's soft side is starting to get more obvious'. _

After an exchange of handshakes and introduction between Dino and Chrome, Dino jabbed Hibari in his ribs and remarked, "She's really cute, Kyoya. Where did you find her?"

"None of your business. And stop calling me by my first name and stay at least _8km_ away from me or I'll bash out your brains with my tonfas," Hibari raised his trusty weapons which gleamed under the sunlight that intruded into the room through the windows.

"D-Don't get angry, Kyoya. I was just joking…" Dino shivered, but still received a smack on the head.

"Calm down, Kyo-san, Dino-san…" Kusakabe intervened before the head prefect could kill the Italian adult.

Hibari was about to threaten Kusakabe too when a sweet, lovely giggle escaped from Nagi's lips, shifting everyone's attention to her. She stopped when she felt the stares and blushed, "S-Sorry. It's just that it's really nice to feel this kind of lively atmosphere. I wasn't able to experience such fun at home". She entwined her fingers together nervously.

The men's hearts went out to her in sympathy, but Dino broke the tense silence by laughing his head off, "Hahaha! Of course, Chrome. These kinds of friendly arguments are always fun!"

"So desu ne. Haha!" she smiled so exuberantly and elegantly that the males became as red as tomatoes.

_Click. _

Hibari smirked at the photograph in his mobile phone. Everyone's jaws dropped as they realised that he just took a picture of Chrome!

'_That hentai….' _

~.~.~.~.~

Chrome stood in the centre of the room right in front of Hibari's desk where he sat.

"Walk straight until you reach my desk," Hibari instructed while leaning his chin on his clasped hands on the desk top.

Nagi took small steps with caution and halted when she hit something near her waist.

"Turn to your right and take four steps."

She did as told and waited for the next command which was "Turn to your left, take three steps and turn to the left again". Hibari observed her movements and suddenly came up with a playful idea. He purposely stretched out his foot. Nagi tripped over it after she finished the final step, falling right into Hibari's arms.

"Got you," Hibari smirked at his successful attempt to hug her with his own method.

"Mou, Hibari-san," Chrome pouted and slapped his chest, "That was so mean."

Hibari chuckled softly and ruffled her purple hair as she returned the hug with a smile.

It had been a week since their first meeting and they had somewhat developed a close bond between them. Nagi admired Hibari for the unwavering strength of his willpower, and held deep gratitude for everything that he did for her sake, ranging from teaching her about things that belonged to the world in which she was isolated from to saving her from gangsters. She felt safe and secure just by hanging around him.

Nagi was the summer warmth that managed to melt the icy cold barrier sealing up the prefect's heart, pouring out his kind and caring being. At first sight, Hibari already understood that he could not despise this girl. He did not feel crowded by her presence and even longed for it unknowingly. He grew attracted to her as time crawled. But out of pride, he concealed his feelings and tried to think of her only as a friend.

As he stared into her exquisite eye, his body started moving on its own. His hands went under her thighs and back and lifted her up onto his lap. Chrome blinked at the sudden motion, her palms lying on Hibari's chest.

Hibari's steel grey eyes took on an expression of lust and dominance. He impulsively pulled Chrome's face closer to his and _pressed his lips against her soft pink ones._ Chrome froze at the shocking touch on her lips which she had never experienced before. Her mind whirled, she didn't get what was happening. All she could interpret was she was sitting on Hibari and he was…._kissing her?_

'_E-Eh?! N-No way! This is kissing?!'_ she blushed scarlet red and her heart beat rapidly. She thought she was going to explode. When she had questioned M.M. about kissing, she was told that it was a touch with the lips. She broke out in cold sweat when she realised that Hibari was stroking her back. After a few minutes, they broke apart for air.

"H-Hibari-san…." Chrome was lost for words. On the other hand, Hibari sank back against his chair, disbelieving what he just did. What the heck was wrong with him? A carnivore like him just displayed affection to a so-called herbivore!

A shriek and a thud interrupted his thoughts as they turned to face the door. Dino laid there in a pool of blood, stuttering something indistinctly, "K-Kyoya….and C-Chrome….kiss-ing…."

He jerked his head up when he felt the deadly aura emitting from a livid Hibari, who drew out his shiny tonfas, "Bronco, for spying on us, kamikurosu!"

THWACK! BANG! CRASH! WHAM! SMASH!

"HEEEELLPPPPPP!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Boss, what happened?!" Romario dashed to the bed's side apprehensively, gasping at a mummified Dino.

"Mmmmf….mmhmmm!" Dino whimpered, and his subordinate sweat-dropped, somehow knowing what caused his boss to have three broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, a black eye, and cracked limbs.

~.~.~.~.~

"P-Please cool down, inchou. Dino-san has already been sent to the hospital as you requested," Kusakabe said while perspiring, not wanting to anger the fuming prefect any further, _'but it was a little too harsh, wasn't it?' _

"Shut up or I'll bite you to death as well," Hibari grumbled, flopping down onto the couch, "Leave us alone".

"Hai," Kusakabe bowed and hurried out of the 'office', blushing when he recalled what Dino claimed he saw.

Chrome ran a finger over her lips and unconsciously smiled. The kiss was totally startling, but it felt kind of good. Hibari peeked from the corner of his eyes at the girl beside him, hoping to taste those lips of hers once more. He shuffled closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, making her grin at him. He tilted her chin up and eagerly eliminated the distance between their lips.

~.~.~.~.~

'_NOOOOO! KYOYA CAN'T GET A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE MEEEEEEE!'_

~.~.~.~.~

Ohayo: Good morning

Konichiwa: Hello/Good afternoon

Minna: Everyone

Inchou: Leader


	6. Chapter 6

Hibari sat crossed legged on the floor of his house in his black yukata. Dino sat opposite him, shuddering whenever he shot death glares at him for staring too much at Chrome who was snacking on Hibari's homemade onigiri.

"So," Hibari started, folding his arms, "What did you want to discuss about that's so urgent that you have to come here early in the morning?"

"W-Well…" Dino scratched his hair anxiously, wary of the raven haired man's austere tone, "you see, my Cavallone family participated in a mafia festival competition and we won dozens of sponsored tickets to Paris, France. Some of my subordinates either could not make it on time for the trip or turned down the offer as they weren't really interested. So we had a few remaining tickets and I would like to cordially invite you youngsters to join us—"

"I refuse," Hibari blurted out bluntly.

"HEY! How could you?! We don't get to go overseas together often you know! I'm inviting Tsuna tachi too—"

"That's worse. I refuse to associate myself with a bunch of herbivores. Go alone."

"KYOYA, HOW COULD YOU BE SO MEAN TO ME?!" Dino shrieked dramatically, "Can't you just go on this trip with us for once? You can bring Chrome along!"

"No means no," Hibari insisted firmly, "And it is not convenient for Chrome now."

"NO! YOU'RE BULLYING HER! You have no right to control her—!"

"Iie, daijoubu, Dino-san. I'll do what Hibari-san wants," Chrome interjected, "besides, I think I'll be too afraid to ride in a plane".

"What? Riding in an airplane is damn amazing, Chrome! It's so high up in the atmosphere, just like a roller coaster! And in Paris, we'll get to visit the famous Eiffel Tower!" Dino tried to entice her.

"Oh, but I think I'm scared of heights. It feels like my feet are no longer stuck to the ground," Nagi said, "So no thank you. But maybe I will try when I'm ready".

Dino seemed as though he was going to cry like a baby who had his bunny soft toy's ear torn off. He pointed an accusing finger at Hibari, "YOU! Did you threaten her to say those things so that she will stay with you at home?!"

Hibari huffed, "There is no need for me to do that. Anyway, she will choose to be with me no matter how much you persuade her because your offer is so lame".

"WHAT THE HECK?! DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!"

Just then Dino's cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly drew it out and answered it. "Moshi moshi? Who is this?" he inquired politely, then his eyes widened at what the caller said.

"SHIT! I have an appointment with a client soon! I mustn't be late!" he began to pick up his suitcase filled with documents and ran to the door, but as the clumsy man he was without his subordinates, he tripped and fell backwards, landing painfully on his butt.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" he wailed, but picked himself up, "Sorry, Kyoya, Chrome, but I have to go now. Ittekimasu!"

"Soredewa mata," Chrome waved back, and they sweat-dropped when they heard Dino screwed up again at the gate.

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari rampaged through his closet, and pulled out a brown, glamorous violin from a cardboard box. He carried the item that was passed down to him by his father carefully, treating it like his beloved new born child.

'_Hmm…. I wonder how that old man is doing up there.' _

He stood in front of his audience, Chrome who was sitting on his bed wearing a dark purple yukata with sakura prints in pretty patterns. After fitting in the chin rest and shoulder pad, he supported the instrument on his collarbone with his left hand and shoulder. He ran the bow over the strings to test the tunes while adjusting the tuning pegs in the pegbox. He took a deep breath and a glimpse of Nagi's smile, before playing the violin to his heart's content.

The musical notes of the soothing melody chimed in Nagi's ears and danced in her mind. The song carried an enchanting yet rueful tune, but Nagi listened in awe with a dazzling eye and flushed cheeks as if she was witnessing her favourite idol performing on stage. Nonetheless, the handsome man in front of her who put his soul into playing the violin was indeed someone she looked up to.

Hibari was so familiar with the song that he need not be guided by the musical scores. Chrome clapped her hands in ecstasy, "Sugoi, Hibari-san! I never knew you have this talent! Are there other instruments that you can play?"

"Yes. I can play the guitar and my okasan forced me to learn the piano too," Hibari's voice sounded rather elegiac at the mention of his late mother, but shook his head to remove the memory and searched for his guitar.

Chrome waited and smiled in gaiety as Hibari began to play his other instrument. The first song was fast and thrilling while the second one was slower and more charming. Chrome applauded blithely again at the end of his professional-like performance, fluttering Hibari a little with her praises.

"Thank you, Nagi," the prefect swooped down and landed a kiss on her lips. Nagi blushed but perkily kissed back, rising the urge within the boy. He pulled her face closer for a deeper kiss, the fabric of their clothes touching each other.

Nagi nuzzled her face in the crook of Hibari's neck and she giggled when he tickled her by running his hands over her back and thighs.

"Do you know that the yukata you are wearing now belonged to my mother?" Hibari asked.

"Seriously? Then I don't think I should be wearing it—"

"It's fine, she had hoped to pass it on to someone else anyway. But she didn't get a chance to."

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"… She was pregnant with my sister and wanted to give the yukata to her when she grows up, but even before Kuri was born, okasan got into a hit-and-run car accident, had a miscarriage and died. That was around four years ago".

Chrome's heart sank at the agonizing past of Hibari Kyoya. She hesitated to ask about his father but he opened the topic himself, "One year later was my otosan's turn. He lost his battle against lung cancer. Two days before his scheduled death, he told me to accept the entire family fortune and use it whenever necessary to make a living".

Nagi's eye took on the same doleful look that she had during the piggy back ride in the shopping district. Did she experience the pain of losing someone precious too? What about her parents?

"Nagi," Hibari called out.

"Hai?"

"You said your parents neglect you, didn't you? Doushite?"

"….. B-Because they hate me for being blind and need so much help in doing things. They hate me for being a hindrance to them and their more important work," she bit her lip and continued, "My mum once said this, _'I wish you were never born'._ I cried whenever they vent their frustration on me by beating or canning me".

_SLAP! _

"_You stupid girl! How dare you break these expensive plates! I'm not gonna treat your cuts since you deserve it!"_

_PINCH. CRY. SLAP. _

"_Don't you dare cry!"_

_PUSH. GLARE._

"_Get lost! Don't disturb my work!"_

"_D-Dad, I-I got a nightmare…." SOB._

"_So what? Shut up and go to bed." SOB._

"_Aunty, Uncle, can you please help me tell my parents not to beat me so much? It hurts…."_

"_That's none of my concern. Anyway, it's your fault."_

"_You are an eyesore. Get out of my sight!" SIGH. SOB. _

"_Stop being such a crybaby!" CRY._

"_KYA!" CRY. SLAP. _

"_Otosan, please stop!"_

"_Damare! You just tore a document of mine! I won't forgive you!"_

_STRIKE WITH THE BELT. CRY. STRIKE AGAIN. _

"_I wish you would just die!" SLAM OF THE DOOR. _

"What the….? That's abuse!" Hibari almost exclaimed.

"Well, they punished me so many times that I'm used to it," Chrome sighed.

"Shouldn't you report this to the police? Or are they too herbivorous to do anything? Never mind, I'll confront your parents myself—"

"Da me! They will hurt you too!"

"Iie, I'm far stronger than them. I can bite them to death easily. You can't let them abuse you any longer."

"Demo…."

Hibari sighed. Not wanting to make her more crestfallen, he changed the subject to a more pleasant one, "Anyway, we're going to school later. That will cheer you up, won't it?"

Chrome immediately wiped off her frown, "Yes!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Walk straight…." Chrome was practicing on how to reach Hibari's desk again, "Turn right and take four steps…."

Hibari used his mischievous trick and made her fall into him again. The committee members stared at the scene of their inchou smiling and the girl who managed to capture his heart laughing, as if they were watching a screenshot that was excreted from a romantic movie that could hardly be linked to Hibari Kyoya.

The prefect turned the back of the chair toward his men so that they could not see him giving a soft peck to Nagi's cheek.

She was in a different attire. She was in the green Kokuyo Middle's uniform that was once M.M.'s. Some way or another, she had convinced Hibari who was so obsessed with keeping the discipline in the school to let her wear it just for today.

Out of the blue, there were shouts, screams, crashing of chairs and tables outside the Reception Room. It didn't sound like an ordinary fight among delinquents. Kusakabe ordered a member to check it out, but the instant he opened the door, something hit against it with such a huge impact that it crushed down on him!

Everyone's eyes widened and backed away as a group of sunglasses-wearing men entered the room, carrying pistols and knives. They seemed to have beaten up everybody that got in their way along the corridors as there were bodies scattered outside the room. Hibari held his ground firmly, not showing any signs of fear at all as he glared at the supposed leader of the gang.

"This is the Disciplinary Committee, isn't it?" the young blonde said, glancing around, one of his hands on his hip.

"What of it?" Kusakabe clenched his fists, extremely wary of these people who burst into the school.

"Watashi wa Ayoi Ozo. I am the leader of my Kaiju gang. Sunglasses are our trademark. We have come to take over the Disciplinary Committee of Namimori," he snickered at the stunned expressions of the men before him.

"N-Nani?!" Kusakabe exclaimed.

"So where is the leader, hm?" Ozo asked with a finger on his chin. Everyone glanced over their shoulders, only to find that the head prefect had vanished from his seat. The click of a tonfa alerted them and they spotted Hibari standing behind Ozo aiming his weapon at his head. When did he get there?

"Monster, huh?" Hibari said, "How funny."

Ozo's eye twitched at the insult to the name of his gang but put on a fake smile as he turned slowly around to face Hibari.

"Hibari Kyoya, eh? Heard you're even stronger than an elephant."

"Since you said you're taking over my committee, I assume that you're a worthy opponent," Hibari challenged.

"Before you fight me, I want to compliment you for getting behind me in such a lightning flash that even my men and I didn't notice. How did you do that?"

"That's none of your business. I'm gonna bite you to death for trespassing and violating the school rules to harm Namimori students," Hibari got into a fighting stance, his predatory eyes now burning in wrath.

At the same time, Ozo's subordinates directed their weapons straight at Hibari and his apparent right-hand man said, "There's no need for you to dirty your hands, Boss. Allow us to fight him instead!"

"Hm? Oh, now that you mentioned that, why don't we have a match between our followers first, Hibari Kyoya?" Ozo suggested.

"Let us fight them, Inchou!" the Disciplinary Committee bellowed in determination.

"I won't agree if those herbivores of yours use weapons against my men," Hibari told Ozo. Ozo nodded and instructed his gang to lower their weapons onto the floor. With a flick of his fingers, the match commenced.

The males punched, kicked, ducked and knocked each other against the walls and furniture while their leaders watched in anticipation. A few drops of blood splattered here and there. Ozo grinned at the obvious victory of his gang and was about to tease Hibari when he saw him _yawning. _Did he not bother whether his men won or not?

The Disciplinary Committee members were out cold on the floor, along with a few Kaiju gangsters. Ayoi Ozo and his last men standing roared with triumphant laughter.

"See! This committee is rubbish! I'm gonna take over it to transform it into a more robust one! Namimori will bow down to me, their KING!"

"I do not need my watchdogs. I can bite all of you to death on my own. The Disciplinary Committee will not perish so easily," Hibari said with full authority and pride.

Ozo blinked in surprise when Kusakabe and some others regained consciousness and sat up. Hibari took this chance to bash his tonfa at him, but thanks to Ozo's fast reaction, he jumped away and avoided the attack.

"Nice one, Hibari Kyoya. But I must say you're careless to leave something, or rather _someone_, unattended."

A scream echoed throughout the room, and Hibari was bewildered to see his Nagi struggling in the arms of Ozo's right-hand man!

"You seemed to be trying to hide something under your desk before you appeared behind me out of nowhere," Ozo said while he took Nagi from his subordinate.

"Let go of her!" Hibari charged at him, only to be blocked by the other gangsters.

"Getting worked up over a girl? Heh heh heh. But she is indeed a sweetie," he pinched her arm, causing a yelp from her. He activated his rocket shoes which allowed him to fly a few feet from the floor.

"Sayonara~!" Ozo laughed evilly as he crashed out of the window.

"Hibari-san! Hibari-san!" Chrome's gravely screams cut the very soul of Hibari as he desperately swung his tonfas at the gangsters' heads, not caring if he had cracked their skulls. Hibari's body shook in terror and rage as he leapt out of the window, dashing after them.

"Let her go!" Hibari shot a tonfa upwards, but Ozo diverted it away with his pistol.

"Gambatte, Hibari Kyoya!"

"Hibari-san!" Chrome shrieked in trepidation, bawling her eyes out.

"NAGI!" Hibari started the engine on his motorbike and sped off, ignoring Kusakabe's shouts as he gave chase to the kidnapper, who had escaped in his black car.

He could not afford to lose her. He would not lose her. He could not imagine how petrified Chrome was right now, not knowing exactly what was going on while being taken away by strangers. He gritted his teeth, his fists clutching tighter on the handles of his vehicle. He wanted to bite himself to death for being unable to protect Chrome. He had broken their promise. However, to make up for that, he would be the one to save her from the pits of hell.

"NAGI!"

~.~.~.~.~

Onigiri: Rice balls

Tsuna tachi: Tsuna and company

Ittekimasu: I'm leaving

Soredewa mata: See you again

Sugoi: Amazing

Okasan: Mother

Doushite: Why?

Da me: Don't

Kaiju: Monster

Gambatte: Good luck/Do your best


	7. Chapter 7

_Chrome sat on a small stool, scrubbing her nude body with a sponge bath. She then rinsed away the soap with water from the shower head. Hibari stared at the glistening water droplets that remained on her pale skin as he sat on another stool near her, almost similar to looking at the morning dew on leaves. He no longer needed to close his eyes when bathing her since two days ago, for he had accidentally seen _everything _before. It took him one whole night trying to erase whatever images that ransacked his once innocent mind, but in the end he admitted defeat and threw away the embarrassment of seeing Chrome naked._

_Hibari watched as Chrome cleaned and covered herself with the towel. But something puzzled him. The girl seemed to be deep in thought, wretchedness painting her pretty face. _

"_Hibari-san? Are you there?" she spoke up. _

"_What is it?"_

_She smiled morosely, "I'm thinking….if I wasn't blind, I could be an ordinary girl, just like minna. I wouldn't cause so much trouble to anyone and could rely solely on myself. I wouldn't be a burden. If I wasn't blind, maybe…just maybe, my parents will love me more". _

_She took a deep breath, a sign that she might cry, and continued, "M.M. wouldn't need to quarrel with my parents or relatives everyday. She wouldn't need to spend so much time taking care of me, ensuring my safety. My okasan and otosan might scold or beat me less"._

_To her oblivion, beads of crystals had already began to stream down her face, she bit her bottom lip and clammed her hands together, sobbing, "Why must I be such a great burden? I love M.M., but I've let her down. I'm so useless, that's why my parents outcast me, that's why my parents hate me!" _

_She couldn't help it anymore. She poured out her grievances as she leant against Hibari, his right hand patting her back to soothe her while his left fingers intertwined with hers. _

"_I-I'm sorry to you too, Hibari-san. You have to go through s-so much just for me. You have to help me shower, pay for my expenses, l-look out for me 24/7…. G-Gomenasai…." _

"_Really, Nagi," Hibari kissed her forehead, "How could you think of that?"_

"_E-Eh?"_

"_I did everything for you willingly. It's not because I owe you a debt. And if I think that you're too weak to be worthy of my attention, I wouldn't even care." _

_Nagi felt warm hands wipe away her tears, and she lifted her head up to make 'eye contact' with Hibari. Hibari embraced her tighter and said, "As I got to know you better, I discovered your strong side. Despite your circumstances, you never give up and always try your best, even if it means exhausting your fragile body. You're stronger than any herbivore I met"._

_If Chrome's vision was not blocked by darkness, she would be able to see the tiny smile that was plastered on Hibari's face, a gentle smile that was meant only for her. _

"_There's no good reason for you to strive to be the same as everyone else. You should be proud to be different, because it brings out your uniqueness. And be proud that you are considered one of the most independent ones among the blind". _

_Nagi beamed as a tear of delight left her eye, her worries burnt into ash. She hugged Hibari gleefully, "Thank you, Hibari-san. Hontoni arigato gozaimasu…."_

_Hibari ruffled her hair. "….I can't believe I'm saying this, but…." he gulped uncertainly, "Do you think a boy would kiss a girl if he doesn't like her?" _

_Chrome blushed at Hibari's indirect confession, and was searching for a reply when she felt Hibari's breath beside her ear, whispering something lovingly. _

_Another tear rolled down her cheek. _

"_Hey, that's not supposed to be your reaction after hearing it. That was actually said by only herbivores," Hibari smirked. _

"_T-Then you've become a herbivore too, Hibari-san," Nagi teased him boldly._

"_And it's all your fault."_

_She giggled jollily, "….Thank you…" _

_Hibari coiled his pinky with hers and shook it lightly, "This is how we make a promise"._

"_P-Promise?"_

"_Yes. My promise to you is to always protect you, even at the cost of my life"._

~.~.~.~.~

_Thumb. Thumb. _

Blood trickled down her ghastly white face. Her messy hair made her seem as though she just woke up from bed. Her body felt numb and weak from the bruises and scratches that decorated it. She couldn't move. Her arms felt like they were being raised up, her wrists secured together by handcuffs which chains were connected to the ceiling.

'_W-Where….am I?'_

Chrome had quite a difficult time trying to pry open her eyelid. What happened? The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was screaming for Hibari to save her.

'_Hibari-san!'_ Chrome's eye popped wide, struggling to move from her position but she couldn't. Her heart thrummed like the wings of a caged humming bird, consternation crushing her in the vice-like grip of a writhing, wriggling snake, _'What's going on? Where am I? Where's Hibari-san? Why can't I move?' _Her efforts to break loose ended up to be futile. She paused when she heard footsteps approaching her, her hair prickling at the back of her neck.

"Oh, so you're awake," she recognised the sarcastic voice of Ayoi Ozo, "I see that you're blind. How does it feel like to be able to enter the Kaiju hideout? Honourable, isn't it?"

"W-Where's Hibari-san?" Chrome queried.

"Heh heh heh….You're such an eccentric girl. You're the one being kidnapped and beaten, yet the first thing that you worry about is whether Hibari Kyoya is safe or not. Hahaha!"

Chrome stiffened, "You….hurt me?"

"Can't you feel the pain on your body? I need you to stay alive, so that I can use you as a hostage to lead Hibari Kyoya here. Seeing how important you are to him, he'll definitely come," Ozo sneered, swinging his whip up, "but it hadn't been fun torturing you since you were unconscious!"

Without warning, the whip slapped Chrome's skin like knives slicing down on it. Chrome screamed and moaned in pain as the whip created bleeding marks on her exposed legs, stomach and even her neck. Ozo grabbed her collar and punched her a few times until her cheeks became sore and she spat out some blood. He laughed with the sadism of a psychopath at the ugly sight of his victim, "HAHAHAHA! This is fantastic! Your suffering is just wonderful! Awesome!"

Tears gushed out of Nagi's eye like the stream from the bladder of a large horse. She coughed and her breathing lost its stability, nausea and faintness taking over her. But she shook her head, _'iie! I mustn't faint! I'll die if I do! Don't sleep, even if I have to endure all this pain…. Don't sleep!' _

Ozo knelt before her, eying her curiously, "You're tough, aren't you? This isn't enough? Do you want me to hit you with my pistol or call my men to beat you up? Heh heh heh…" He pressed nearer and rubbed his hand over her chest seductively. Nagi flinched and irascibly kicked the molester accurately at the side of his head, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Ozo touched his head and grimaced at the red stains on his fingers. He landed an incensed blow to the girl's stomach, causing her to cough out some blood. However, this time Chrome glared back at him challengingly.

"You bastard…" that was probably the first time in her thirteen years of life did she speak such an insolent phrase, "You're going to regret it when Hibari-san comes here".

"Pff…! Hahaha! So you really believe that he'll save you? Dream on!" he stepped on her toes, but was surprised that she did not even wince.

"Yes. I trust Hibari-san. He's stronger than any human I know. He'll find me. I know he will," emotions of resolve and belief enveloped in Nagi's eye, "He'll come here and kick your bratty butts!"

Ozo was slightly taken aback at her sudden change. Then he smirked and pulled something out from his pocket. It was a syringe containing a brownish liquid. He stretched out one of Chrome's legs forcefully and injected the needle into her flesh. Within a few seconds Nagi was drowned into darkness.

~.~.~.~.~

"GAH!" another man crashed onto some tables and chairs and into the wall. The floor was littered with half-dead bodies, broken pieces of furniture, crumbled bricks and dust. The Kaiju gangsters backed away from the intruder timorously. "D-Don't get any nearer!" one of them warned, extending out his knife, "or we'll kill you!"

The intruder didn't respond. He merely charged at them, smashing his weapons into their faces and torsos. Blood and even a few teeth jumped into the air and splattered over the area. The only recreant man who had not participated in the fight fled out of the room as if he had ants in his pants before the dangerous man could bite him to death.

~.~.~.~.~

"B-Boss! Help!" the affrighted man slammed open the door of the office, beads of perspiration dripping from his head.

"Hm? What the hell is wrong, Rumsi?" Ozo retorted, clearly vexed by the interruption in the middle of his 'fun' with two ladies who cuddled beside him on the sofa.

"B-Boss,_ he_ has invaded our hideout and is currently on a rampage! Almost everyone has been taken out!" Rumsi reported, his body shivering in jitters.

Ozo raised an eyebrow, then grinned, "Wow. That was fast. Here comes the showdown".

"Who's here, Ayoi-san?" one of the ladies inquired, reluctant to let him go. "The boy I just told you about. Sorry, but it looks like I've got work to do. We'll continue later, my sweethearts!~" Ozo blew a disgusting kiss to the ladies, making them "Kyaa!~" and nosebleed with hearts in their eyes.

He gestured for his subordinates to deliver to him his ultimate weapon, not a sword, not a rifle, but a silver, steel spear with a sharp, pointy tip. He let out a crazy laugh before he headed off for the basement where he kept Chrome.

~.~.~.~.~

"I've led him here as you ordered, Boss," the loyal right-hand man said as he entered the training room in the basement.

"Heh heh heh… Good work, Akita. Leave the rest to me," Ozo praised him, and Tanaka Akita obediently stepped aside to the corner with the rest of the gang, creating an area almost as spacious as a boxing ring for their boss and the invader. Ozo smiled smugly at the person who inflicted his hideout, his hands in his pockets, "Nice to see you again. Didn't expect you to find us at such a fast rate".

"…"

"_Hibari Kyoya."_

"…."

"Why are you so quiet? Aren't you going to ask about your dear girl?"

"…"

"She was crying for you, you know. But she really believes in you. She went against me just to prove that. Aww…isn't that sweet?"

Fists clenched around the tonfas.

"Heh. Take a look yourself," Ozo moved aside to reveal an unconscious Chrome behind him, still restrained by the handcuff chains. Hibari held up his tonfas in combat mode and demanded, "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing much. Just ruined her cute appearance, that's all," Ozo replied, unaffected by Hibari's infuriation. Hibari's eyebrows angled downwards and his eyes narrowed, "Kamikurosu!"

"Ha! Your catchphrase is damn funny! What are you, a kyuuketsuki?" Ozo provoked him.

"Anything is better than that 'heh heh heh' of yours," Dino jumped out from behind Hibari out of nowhere, followed by Kusakabe. Dino stretched out his whip readily, smirking at Ozo's slightly astounded expression, Kusakabe also got prepared to fight.

"Really… Tell me. How did you guys manage to locate my hideout? It's underground you know," Ozo enquired, hands on his hip. "Tch. And you call yourself the big cheese? Don't you know there are things like research from the Internet and police records? You are actually wanted by the police for past offences of robbery, murder and rape," Dino began to wave his hands around as if he was teaching a drama lesson as he described certain clever crimes the gang committed in detail, until Hibari gave out an annoyed "ahem".

"Soka… Interesting," Ozo massaged the bridge of his nose, obviously unable to deny his guilt.

"And you're wanted for kidnapping too—,"

"All right, all right! Shut up already!" Ozo boomed exasperatedly. _'Oops, we made him mad,'_ Dino sweat-dropped with a sheepish smile.

"Come and get her if you can, Hibari Kyoya," Ozo tapped his spear onto the floor.

"I'll bite you to death no matter what. I'm going to save Nagi," Hibari glowered at him.

"Mind if you guys back off? I'm sure our guest here deserves a one-to-one fight with me since he single-handedly defeated our brothers," Ozo said to his men, but added, "however, feel free to fight those two".

"Bring it on!" Dino and Kusakabe shouted in unison, the gangsters switching their target as well.

Hibari bit his lip as he stared at Chrome, he wanted to go to her and wake her up to ensure that she was fine, but he had a score to settle with Ayoi Ozo. He needed to eliminate him first before he could proceed to help her.

'_I'll save you, Nagi. I promise'. _

"Prepare yourself, Hibari Kyoya. It's never a piece of cake to fight me," the Kaiju gang leader warned as he pointed his spear at Hibari.

"I don't want it to be either," Hibari retaliated, "In this way, I can bite you to death to the maximum".

They glared at each other one last time, before they soared and both inchous clashed.

~.~.~.~.~

Kyuuketsuki: Vampire

Translations are mainly for the benefit of my best friend who does not watch anime or read manga, but may read my stories. Also for those who are in the same condition as her.

P.S. may I please request for those who wish to favourite/follow my story/me to leave a review as well? Grazie (Thank you)! :)


	8. Chapter 8

"HIYA!" Dino yelled in victory as he snapped down his whip, only to find that the enemy was still standing upright in front of him, eying him amusedly.

"?"

"Ite, ite… D-Dino-san…" he glanced down to find Kusakabe holding his red nose in pain. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Dino asked innocently. Kusakabe scowled, "You think? I'm your ally, the one you're not supposed to attack!"

It then dawned on Dino that due to his carelessness and sort of uselessness in the absence of his subordinates, instead of aiming at his enemy, he had accidentally hit Kusakabe on the face with his whip! Everyone knew how much a whip could hurt…..

"I-I'm so sorry, Kusakabe! I'm so sorry! Geez… why am I so stupid?" Dino face palmed in shame.

"Glad you know…." Kusakabe grunted.

"Oi!"

"How are you, Boss? Have you won without us?" Romario appeared out of thin air like a ghost at the entrance with a bunch of Dino's men, scaring the hell out of their boss. "WAAH! Romario! And you guys! Where did you come from?" Dino screamed in shock. Romario had a mocking glint in his eyes, "You told us about the Kaiju kidnapping Chrome, so we assume that you need help and rush to your rescue. So, have you won?"

"Tsk. We haven't even started. But now that you're here, I can fight properly…" Dino smiled and like a prancing horse he galloped forward and fought. "Agghh! This guy suddenly becomes strong! Didn't he idiotically screw up just now?!" one of the gangsters cried before he was tied by the whip and thrown into the wall.

"Of course! Our boss always has drastic personality changes!" Romario and the rest nodded thrice with twinkles against their eyes, and Kusakabe sighed in relief, _'thank god….or else I'll die as well…'_

"Inchou!" it was now the Disciplinary Committee's turn to show up, "we're ready to rock!"

"Geez, you people are late… But in any case, let's go!"

~.~.~.~.~

The spear swished through the air horizontally. Hibari leapt nimbly to the side, leaving it to crash to the ground and emit a shower of hot sparks that almost set his pants ablaze. He twirled a tonfa towards Ozo, but it got deflected away by Ozo's spear. Ozo spinned his pole-like weapon a few times before he dashed forward and the two of them engaged in a battle of intense slashes, polluting the room with sounds of metals clanging against one another.

CLANK! THWANG! CLANG! DING!

"Tough, aren't you, Hibari Kyoya?" Ozo remarked as he swung his spear at Hibari's head, which he easily dodged by bending backwards, "just like your little girl".

"I'm going to bite you to death for everything that you did to her!" Hibari's eyes flamed up with animosity, his right arm's tonfa shooting up to smash into Ozo's face, but again he shielded himself with the spear's shaft.

"Heh heh heh! No matter what, you're gonna lose!" Ozo drew back, whirled his stabbing implement and aimed for Hibari's chest. Hibari swiftly made an 'X' with his tonfas to block the attack as the sharp head of the spear got caught in the intersection, a few inches apart from his chin. Hibari pushed it away and bestowed a trio of vicious strikes of his tonfas onto his opponent, forcing him to falter back a bit.

'_Keh…! This guy is freaking fast!'_ Ozo thought, barely able to avoid another lethal blow. He rolled to the left, but gritted his teeth when he felt a blade-like object whipped a breeze across his right arm's skin.

"What the hell?" Ozo mumbled in astonishment as he spotted scarlet staining his wound.

"Hn. Looks like I manage to land the first damage," Hibari smirked in satisfaction, "as expected. By the way, one of the first things I want to achieve is to remove your sunglasses".

Ozo raised a confused eyebrow, "my sunglasses? Why?"

"Are you so ashamed to show your eyes? Trademark? What bullshit is that?" Hibari snorted. Ozo was about to talk back when he noticed what had cut him. A chain with a pointy edge was protruding from Hibari's hollow tonfa. _'He must have release it when I was rolling away,'_ Ozo mused, _'do those things have other properties?'_

"Heh. This is getting interesting. This is the first time I got hurt so quickly in a fight," Ozo tapped his spear to the floor, and glanced at Chrome wickedly, _'I just have to drag this fight, so that Hibari Kyoya will kill himself even if I lose in the end (which will never happen). Muahahaha!'_

"Mufufufufu…. Muahohohoho….. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"….. What do you think you're doing, you baka lunatic?" Hibari queried as he stared at the supposed-to-be-in-an-asylum fool weirdly.

"Oops, my bad," Ozo giggled girlishly.

"…. Did you just giggle?"

"Nope, I laughed".

"A laugh is manlier, herbivore. And whatever you just did was_ not_ manly".

"Shut the **** up, you #%^$~!"

A blue spark of rivalry flashed between them and ire flames engulfed them, while their followers simply sweat-dropped. Tanaka scratched his cheek with his finger, _'Boss is scheming something….' _

With a mighty swing, Hibari's chain coiled around Ozo's body and was pulled so hard that Ozo was crushed like the prey of a python, forcing out bloodcurdling screams from him. The chains slowly penetrated the first layer of epidermis, giving off a burning sensation. Hibari took advantage of his immobility, charging forward and placing Ozo in a headlock with his tonfa and slammed him head first onto the ground. Blood flew out of Ozo's mouth. At the second when Hibari was about to exert another attack, he pulled out his spear that was pressed against his chest by the chain and hit the side of Hibari's head. The large impact sent him flying into the boxes that were stacked up at the corner of the wall.

Ozo pried off the chains with his muscular arms, ignoring the stinging pain on his skin. He chuckled, but it wasn't vague that he was overwhelmed with pique. "To injure me to this extent… You really have a death wish, don't you, Hibari Kyoya?"

Hibari heaved himself up, touching the blood under his nose and at the side of his head, "….."

Ozo's spear had taken on a different appearance. It had formed into the shape of a three sectional metal staff. "Don't think…." Ozo held onto one of the bars and ran towards his target, "you're the only one with special weapons!"

The bar of the metal staff nicked Hibari's shoulder. He flinched and flung it away, but he was unaware that the ends were equipped with spiked metal balls which lacerated his left arm. He flexibly somersaulted to the right but did not manage to prevent his temple from being cut. Hibari grimaced and seek his revenge by thrusting his tonfa that had unleashed its countless spikes into Ozo's stomach mercilessly. Ozo whined as the flesh of his stomach felt like it was permeated by cacti, the surface poked with red dots.

Not wasting even a second, Hibari swung his weapons in a criss-cross motion and slammed them directly at Ozo's jaw. Ozo flew back and crashed into the wall, filling up the space around him with debris. Blood covered his bruised chin, and he coughed out a few broken teeth. When he tried to stand up, an excruciating pain spread over his entire left arm, making him cringe down. He moved his elbow just by that little centimetre, and the next instant a dreadful _crack_ sound resounded throughout the room, something he never wanted to contemplate.

Tanaka froze, dumbfounded. So did the other Kaiju gangsters.

"Boss!" he tried to approach Ozo, but was immediately stopped.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ozo grouched tetchily, staggering up, "Ruining my pride as a man, as the leader of the Kaijus?"

Dino swallowed, a foreboding feeling stirring up within him. He looked uneasily at Hibari, and wished he could be as composed as him, not afraid of what might come next. He evaluated his enemies. Most of them were already K.O. His team had yet to take down Tanaka Akita, the strongest one among the pack. They just needed more time.

"Psst! Kyoya!" Dino uttered, attracting Hibari. He mouthed the phrases _'be super careful. He's pissed off'_. Hibari however replied with the look that said _'I'm not that stupid'. _

"I won't back down with a little fracture!" Ayoi Ozo bellowed tempestuously, unexpectedly throwing his spear which returned back to its original form straight at Chrome! Astonished, Hibari darted to Chrome's side in rippling speed, wrapped his arms protectively around her and let the spear stabbed into his back instead. Ozo's eyes widened in surprise, the Cavallone Family and the Disciplinary Committee gasped in horror.

"KYOYA!"

"KYO-SAN!"

"My my, what a heroic move, Hibari Kyoya. Sacrificing yourself for her. Heh heh heh…." Ozo snickered elatedly, "but if I have thrown my spear harder, it would pierce through your _whole_ back and probably go into Chrome Dokuro's _eye_ as well. Sugoi! I can kill two birds with one stone! Kuahahahaha!"

"You bastard!" Dino shouted in wroth. Tanaka sensed his urgency to attack Ozo, and quickly blocked his path, "focus on your fight with me. Leave Boss and Hibari Kyoya alone".

"Che!"

Kusakabe was also very worried for his leader, but he decided to believe in him, to believe that he would be fine and pull through toward victory, _'Kyo-san will win, I just know it!'_

Hibari felt blood oozing out from the big wound on his back. The pain was almost unbearable.

_But at that moment, he didn't care._

All that mattered was he had protected his Nagi. She was safe. He stared at her pale face, and kissed her forehead lightly.

Hibari reached to his back and pulled out the spear, looking emotionlessly at the blade that was stained crimson. If he used a magnifying glass, he would be able to see almost invisible bits of grotesque flesh.

He tossed the weapon back at Ozo, slicing his upper right arm cleanly. Ozo growled menacingly like a ferocious wolf, retrieved his weapon and resumed the battle.

CLANK! DANG! CLUNG! CRANG!

'_Oh my god, they're so fast that I can't see a thing,' _Dino's jaw dropped.

This time, Ayoi Ozo's speed and strength had increased enormously, in spite of all the injuries he sustained. _'Driven by anger, I guess,'_ Hibari thought. "What are you laughing at, Hibari Kyoya?" Ozo smirked, his movements and stances were incredible, and for periods of seconds Hibari even had to try to keep up without losing his stamina. "Just at your herbivorous fear of defeat," Hibari replied, his tonfas colliding with Ozo's spear.

Suddenly, Ozo grabbed Hibari's collar and knocked his forehead _hard_ against his! "Ngh…!" Hibari tumbled backwards, holding his now burning bruised forehead, and half yelled petulantly, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Using such a childish move!"

"Pff….! Kuahahaha….!"

Thwack! Dino's jocular amused laughter did not escape the ears of Hibari Kyoya, which earned him a tonfa smack on his head.

Ozo pointed to something behind Hibari, "See that?"

Hibari turned to see a fireplace with its architectural structure camouflaged against the grey wall. "Whoever can push his opponent into that and burn him up till the very depth of his bones will claim the trophy!" Ozo announced, and everyone gaped at his cruel idea. "How could you—?" Kusakabe began, but was cut by his inchou who took up the challenge without hesitation, "sure. Sounds good".

"Are you nuts, Kyoya?!" Dino cried, "you're going to get killed! What's the point?"

"For my pride. That is all," Hibari said without missing a beat.

"Pride? What crap is that?!"

"My pride is Namimori Middle's Disciplinary Committee, and the iron hammer for those who disrupt its order," Hibari spoke, his jacket with the armband swaying coolly.

'_Kyo-san was sparkling just now,'_ Kusakabe thought, but then cheered proudly with the rest of his teammates.

"And," Hibari said again, looking genially with a small smile at Nagi, _"my pride is Chrome". _

"Aww…. How sweet," Ozo jeered.

Like a sound wave, Hibari dashed to Ozo's side and tackled him in a chokeslam. They started another round of violent weapon fight that swelled like a raging tide, while pushing, kicking, punching and rolling each other toward the death hole. Both of them refused to give up. No matter how severe the shape of their weakened bodies was, they never allowed their knees to touch the ground. They would always fight on. For their pride and lives were at stake. No matter how much blood was spilled and how much it hurt to watch them persevere to the very end, they would win.

They stood there panting heavily. Ozo was irate with his rival. The calm expression remained strong in those steel grey eyes.

'_That bastard…. He still thinks he's the predator. Is he not scared of death?' _

Ozo suddenly swayed, unable to stand up straight. He hung his head as he bent down a little, gasping for air. His knees shook, and his vision blurred. He screamed when his fracture wound opened up to uncover a part of his cracked bone surrounded by gross flesh and blood vessels.

'_Shimata…. I'm at my limit….'_

Hibari stared at his split knuckles in wonder as he wiped off the blood on his chin. He roamed his eyes at his torn clothes, dirty tonfas and numerous injuries. He was getting exhausted and sick from the fight. Ayoi Ozo was tougher than he thought.

'_I need to finish this as soon as possible. Nagi needs help. And I've to admit I feel a bit weak'._

"Let's end this," Hibari switched back to his combat position, and caught Ozo off guard as he ran forward and drove blood and air out of his body. Ozo grunted and Hibari took this opportunity to land a solid blow to his abdomen, brutally breaking his ribs.

Holding onto his chest, Ozo lunged forward and buried his spear blade into Hibari's stomach, pinning him down to the floor. Hibari let out a soft groan as the pain intensified, but resilience enveloped in his eyes again when he saw Chrome showing signs of stirring to consciousness.

He harshly slammed his tonfa against Ozo's neck and lifted his leg up to _kick at the part between Ozo's legs!_ "GAH! Damn you!" Ozo stumbled away, cursing out loud with all kinds of bad words. "Excellent move, Kyoya!" Dino gave him a thumbs-up sign while bending double to release the roar of laughter exploding within him, and the others supporting Hibari slapped their thighs as they laughed till their sides hurt. The Kaijus, on the contrary, were sweat-dropping and freezing like icicles trying to digest what just happened.

"Revenge for knocking my forehead earlier," Hibari smirked teasingly as Ozo was still resisting the terrible pain as he rolled back and forth on the floor foolishly.

As if triggered by convulse, Ozo unleashed his three sectional metal staff, clicked a button to extend the chain and pulled Hibari at his ankle with it. Hibari was stunned as he fell and was towed across the floor, loose gravel scratching his back like an endless rug burn, worsening every second as he wiggled. Ozo's fists came into contact with Hibari's face in asperity the moment he reached him. Hibari knew what Ozo was trying to do. Ozo was forcing him to roll into the fireplace so that he would be the one to pop open the champagne bottle.

"Don't even think about it!" Hibari said curtly and fought back. The two men were currently revolving their bodies all over the floor like children arguing over trivial matters as they pursued to stand above the other, trails of their blood following them just like their shadows did. The Kaiju gangsters cheered as crazily as monkeys for their leader, except for Tanaka who looked on in aghast.

"Kyoya! Stop it!" Dino shouted, "yamete! Y-your wounds…. You're seriously going to die if you continue this, I tell you! Hey! Listen to me!" Kusakabe nodded in agreement fiercely.

"Damare!" Hibari retorted resentfully, his gum bleeding, "don't you care about Chrome, herbivore? She'll be in danger if I don't win! I can't let anything happen to her!"

"I won't lose either! I'm going to take over Namimori and eventually Nippon! My Kaiju will rule the world no matter what!" Ozo's head was bleeding profusely, but he could care less.

"Perish, Hibari Kyoya!"

"Go to hell, herbivore!"

They skidded away from each other for three seconds before the tips of their weapons struck. The humongous force repelled them with the effect of an atomic bomb. Hibari was thrown to the bottom of Chrome's feet, just in time to see her raise her swollen eyelid as she gave out a muffled cry.

"Nagi—" he was interrupted by an ear piercing shriek emitting from Ayoi Ozo.

_Ozo's head was immersed in the monstrous flames in the fireplace!_ He was screaming his lungs out as the fire killed patch by patch of his blond hair. Tanaka and the entire Kaiju gang wasted no time in fishing their boss out of hell's deadly grasp.

"GWAAAAH!" Ozo carried on yelling in tremendous pain from the extreme heat that gave off steam from his almost bald head. The poignant smell of his melting scalp lingered in the air, and half of each ear was charred. He was driven by conniption to the point that he could no longer control his movements. He began to dig his nails into his scalp, drawing red lines as if he was being clawed by an aggressive wild animal, and also sunk his teeth into his arms, tearing off a bit of skin. The Kaijus desperately tried to stop his antics, but to no avail.

"NOO! I CAN STILL FIGHT! I WANNA WIN! I'M GONNA KILL YOU, HIBARI—!" a bullet penetrated into his forehead and he fell. The room was in pin-drop silence as everyone turned to the source of the shot.

It was Hibari, his hand holding onto a silver polished pistol.

"K-KYOYA! W-WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!" Dino exclaimed. Did Hibari just murder someone?

"Relax. He's just passed out," was the simple reply.

"So desu, Dino-san," Kusakabe explained, "Kyo-san merely used a bullet that paralyses a person for at least half an hour. We seek permission from the police we are allied with to borrow it in case an emergency like that occurs".

"S-Scary…." Dino quivered, his jaw falling and his face became pale.

"**** you, Hibari Kyoya! I'll take revenge for Boss!" Tanaka Akita hollered in outrage, lashing out his kunai knives.

"You still want to fight? Are you such an idiot?" Hibari snarled, kneeling down by Ozo's body and removed his sunglasses. Their eyes widened.

Ozo had no real left eye. It was replaced by an artificial ball. "What's this?" Hibari questioned. Tanaka bit his lip and confessed, "Boss was stabbed in the eye when he was bullied by seniors in his school when he was young. Ever since then, he became obsessed with the idea that the good always lose, while the bad guys win. Hence he wished to be on the antagonist's side. After he formed up this gang, he introduced our trademark of wearing sunglasses in order for him to conceal his missing left eye out of shame".

"Tch. A herbivore indeed," Hibari remarked bluntly.

Just then, the police force arrived at the scene. In less than five minutes, they had handcuffed and dragged all the Kaiju gangsters away. However, Hibari had demanded for Tanaka to stay back for awhile.

"W-What is it now?" Tanaka stammered, daunted by the scourge before him.

"Spit it out. Did that boss of yours do anything else to my Nagi apart from torturing her?"

"O-Of course not—"

"Don't you dare lie," Hibari pointed his pistol at Tanaka intimidatingly.

"Eek! All right! All right!" Tanaka cowered in cowardice, "Boss had injected a _poisonous _drug into Chrome Dokuro's body. It has a wonderful consequence and she is going to die if you don't treat her before tomorrow ends!"

That earned him a shot of the paralysing bullet too. The nerve of him to say _'wonderful'!_ But his statement was unfortunately a fact.

"OH MY GOD! CHROME IS POISONED?! WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT DO WE DOOOOOOO?!" Dino screamed in panic as he ran around the room in circles until Hibari made him trip face flat over his foot.

"Can't you behave like an adult for once?" Hibari chided before he destroyed the chains that bound Chrome. Chrome leant into his arms, gradually regaining consciousness.

"A-agh…." she felt arms wrapping themselves around her, providing the warmth that she never failed to recognise and missed so much. "Hibari-san….?" she muttered as she 'glanced' up to meet Hibari's eyes. Hibari grinned, caressing her cheek and cleaning the blood on her lips with his thumb, "Nagi…."

"H-Hibari-san…." Chrome sniffed, breaking down in sobs, "is this for r-real? Hibari-san… is with me now?"

"Yes, Nagi," Hibari squeezed her tighter, "you're safe".

"Hibari-san…." her voice dwindled as she fainted, her head lying on Hibari's left arm. Hibari gaped in bewilderment, shaking her, "Nagi? What's wrong? Oi, Nagi!"

"Kyo-san, take a look at her leg," Kusakabe spoke up. Hibari noticed a blue black mark around the spot where she was injected. "Where's the damn ambulance? Get her to the hospital now!" he growled.

An oxygen mask was fitted to Chrome's nose and mouth and she was carried away on a stretcher. "Let's go, minna. Kyoya—….. Kyoya!" Dino rushed forward with Kusakabe, while the others called back some paramedics.

Hibari Kyoya, after a tedious, life-threatening fight, had collapsed.

~.~.~.~.~

Yamete: Stop

Nippon: Japan

Moshi moshi: Hello (on the phone) [I forgot this the last time]

~.~.~.~.~

Phew! Finally! Chapter 8 is done! :D It wasn't easy at all writing good fighting scenes. Sorry for the late update. I hope you can give me some feedback. :)

References I made to help me write this chapter:

WyrdWolf's "How To Write A Fight Scene" on FictionPress. Link: s/2151501/1/How-To-Write-A-Fight-Scene (This one is really good. You should check it out!)

"How to Write a Fighting Story" at how_4747071_

I dedicate my first story on FanFiction to my best friend! Adios!~ :D


	9. Chapter 9

Dino creaked open the white door quietly, a basket of fruits in his hands. He strolled over to the occupant on the bed and settled himself in a stool.

"How are you, Kyoya?" he inquired, "here. I brought some fruits for you. Eat them when you feel like it, okay?"

"I shouldn't be the one you should be worried about," Hibari grumbled, turning his head away on the pillow, "go check on Chrome instead and don't disturb me".

'_Heh, typical Kyoya,'_ Dino smiled to himself, "but I can't. The doctors and nurses are still attending to her. They are trying their best to extract the poison from her body". Hibari gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, "if they don't save her, I'm gonna bite them all to death and burn down the entire hospital".

"Waah! Kyoya, don't be insane! You can't do that, for god's sake!" Dino exclaimed. He patted Hibari's shoulder and sighed when his hand was shrugged off, "Kyoya, calm down".

"I _am_ calm," Hibari snapped.

"No, you aren't. Don't worry too much about Chrome. She will be fine. What's troubling me now is….." Dino scratched his head, as if he was in a dilemma of whether to tell Hibari his problem or not, making Hibari slightly tense as it might be a bad news related to him.

"Who on earth is going to pay for your hospital stay bills?"

_~Silence—~ _

_Wham! _

"Ouch!"

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

"I mean it! You're just a teenager, how could you have enough money to pay?"

"Tsk. You now have no right to say that you know me well. Don't you know I can use part of my family fortune?"

_~Silence—~_

"O-Oh…." Dino chuckled sheepishly, "I didn't think of that…."

_Thwack! _

"Ite! Stop kicking my face of all places Kyoya!" Dino wailed, rubbing his cheek that now had a footprint on it. "Stupid bronco…." Hibari grabbed a juicy apple and consumed it, much to Dino's pleasure, "anyway, even if I have no money, I'll make sure _YOU _pay for the expenses".

"What the heck?!"

A knock at the door halted their conversation, and an elderly doctor carrying a tray of medicine entered. Her smile was as bright as morning sunshine, reflecting the feminine youth that she once owned.

"Ohayo gozaimas, Hibari-kun and Dino-kun," she greeted warmly, "I am sorry for interrupting your brotherly talk, but please spare me some time to give Hibari-kun his medicine". Hibari's eye twitched at the word _'brotherly'_, while Dino nodded delightedly.

"How do you know my name?" Hibari asked as he looked at the bags of pills and bottles of bitter liquids. The lady smiled, "pardon me. I am Dr. Kobayashi Sara, the one who allocated you and Chrome-chan to your rooms".

'_Chrome-chan?'_ Why did this doctor call Chrome so familiarly?

"You know her?" Hibari queried curiously. To his surprise, she nodded, "hai. I've known that girl since the day of her birth, as I was the one who assisted in the delivery. She is very obedient and good-natured, yet she was neglected by her own parents. Isn't that so sad?"

She knew about her past too?

"It's been six years since I last saw her, after she moved away from Kokuyo where I lived too. When I heard she was coming yesterday, I was so euphoric about our reunion. But I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Kobayashi Sara sighed in dejection.

"How is she? Where is she?" Hibari asked, clearly impatient to know about her current condition.

"She's in the ICU, just a floor below. Dr. Isagari and his partners are conducting a surgery on her. You don't have to worry, she'll be all right," the doctor reassured him kindly.

"Thank you for all your help to Kyoya and Chrome, Kobayashi-san," Dino bowed like a gentleman. The elderly woman shook her head, "it's okay, you don't have to so formal. You may call me Aunt Sara, since that's what Chrome-chan does".

~.~.~.~.~

_Beep….. Beep….. Beep…_

"Good. Her heart rate is normal. And her breathing is steady as well".

"There are so many wounds. What happened to her? And what are all these? Whip marks?"

"Don't be such a busybody and do your job cleaning her wounds instead".

"Who do you think you are? My bossu?"

"Ahem. But I agree with Kuroko, Daema".

"Tsk! Yes, sir….."

_Beep….. Beep….. Beep…_

"All right. Extract the poison now".

Kuroko injected the syringe into Chrome's leg, and gently drew out the dark liquid that threatened her life. He then transferred it into a test tube, covered it with a lid and handed it over to Dr. Isagari Naru. The bruise-like mark that had spread out like black veins slowly started to fade. The nurses bandaged Chrome's injuries while the doctors gathered to discuss about the drug. It was very foreign to them, as if it had done a great job hiding its existence.

"Kuroko, do a thorough research on this drug. It might be something that the Kaijus created," Dr. Isagari instructed.

Daema argued, "why not me? I can do this job in two toots of a whistle, much faster than that brat—"

"Do what I told you before. Check that a room is available for Dokuro-san so that we can transfer her there later," Dr. Isagari insisted, almost having the urge to tell him to mind his own business, but being the polite man he was, he controlled his dander.

Daema stormed out of the room after rudely rolling his eyes at his director. Dr. Isagari tapped his ballpoint pen on his clipboard as he examined Chrome intently. Those purple locks, long eyelashes, single eye, fair skin, flushed cheeks and delicate image….

'_Now…. Just when have I seen her before?'_

~.~.~.~.~

"Really, Kyoya…. Stop pacing around already!" Dino sighed in frustration, "we told you Chrome is fine!"

"How can you be so sure? You don't even understand!" Hibari said sharply, uneasiness painted all over his face. Suddenly, he touched his bandaged forehead, and faltered a little. "Kyoya, are you okay?" Dino asked worriedly, standing up from the stool. Hibari closed his eyes and nodded weakly, "yes. It's just a minor headache".

"See! I told you to rest and stop bouncing about!" Dino huffed. Hibari sent a death glare to him and snapped, "how am I supposed to do that with you around? Get out of my room or I'll bite you to death!"

"Whoa, whoa, chill, Kyoya. I need to keep an eye on you—"

"No, you don't. Leave me alone".

Nevertheless, Hibari retreated back into bed, attempting to take a nap to clear his mind. He could not help but to have a bad feeling arousing in him. Why? Did something dreadful happen to his Nagi? He didn't know.

~.~.~.~.~

"There you are, Sara".

"Oh, Naru. Has the surgery ended? How is Chrome-chan?"

"She's still unconscious, but her life is no longer in danger. Just that….."

"? Just?"

"….. According to Kuroko's research on the poison which is an invention made solely by the Kaiju gang, it has a deadly effect. I don't know how to tell you and Dokuro-san's friends…."

"Naru…."

"Gomenasai, Sara".

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari grabbed Dr. Isagari's collar and slammed him belligerently against the wall.

"Ugh!"

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"P-Please c-calm down, Hibari-san…."

"Tell me!"

"Oi, stop it Kyoya! Don't hurt the doctor! He's not responsible for it!" Dino yanked at Hibari's arms along with Kusakabe, but they were both shoved away roughly. Aunt Sara stood at the side, cupping her mouth in dismay.

"Tell me. Why did that happen to Chrome?" Hibari fumed, his death-like, splenetic eyes piercing Dr. Isagari's perturbed soul and caused chills to climb up his spine. The doctor gulped, "the d-drug, though extracted, has damaged the nerves in her legs, where the effect began. Her legs are currently _p-paralysed_ temporarily. It may last for a few weeks or months. I'm very sorry. We have done everything we could…."

"Everything? If that's the case, she wouldn't be like this!" Hibari erupted, worsening Dr. Isagari's fright. "It wasn't his fault, Kyoya. Don't blame him, all right? At least they saved her life," Dino interjected. Kusakabe remained silent, afraid that if he added anything else it might exacerbate the situation.

Hibari lifted his fist, but instead of punching the doctor, he smashed it against the wall next to Dr. Isagari's head. The poor man seemed as though he was going to get a heart attack. A few minutes of taut silence flew by, until Hibari spoke up, "…. I want to see her".

Dr. Isagari led the group to Room 1896, where Chrome, connected to a medical monitor, laid motionless in bed. She looked so pale and weak, as if one more damage would break down her body.

"Another consequence of the drug is coma. She may stay like this for as long as a week. I will arrange for a few nurses and doctors to watch over her during this period," Dr. Isagari said.

Hibari walked over to Chrome and ran his slender fingers through her soft hair and over her cheek and jawline. He loomed over her and hugged her tight, not giving a damn about the shock of the witnesses at this rare sight of Hibari Kyoya displaying public affection. He breathed in her sweet scent and rubbed his cheek against hers. Aunt Sara gestured to the boys to leave the room in order for the duo to have their own needed privacy. Hibari nodded to her right before she closed the door, indicating his appreciation for her thoughtfulness.

Hibari amiably pressed his body onto hers, taking her vulnerability into consideration. Their foreheads contacted, and Hibari kissed her lips in a gentle manner. They tasted so good regardless of the state their owner was in. He continued kissing her, and made up his mind, _'I'm going to stay overnight with her. I'm going to sacrifice my prefect duties for the sake of watching over her all the time'. _

~.~.~.~.~

"Nani? You can't do that, Kyoya! How can you look after her when you yourself haven't even recovered completely?" Dino objected when he heard of Hibari's plans. "I have, baka bronco. You can't change my mind no matter what," Hibari replied, annoying Dino with his stubbornness. "Well, at least Kyo-san can move more steadily now. But I can bring you the Disciplinary Committee work from school if you want, in case you get bored staying in the room," Kusakabe suggested, receiving his leader's approval.

"In any case, Hibari-kun," Aunt Sara poked Hibari's side playfully, "don't forget to take your medicine for your headache daily". Hibari glared at her before swallowing the pill, and Dino pouted in envy at his ability to do that without the help of water. Aunt Sara requested for Hibari to sit on a stool while she changed his bandages, and Dino and Kusakabe merrily accepted the hot chocolate and croissants that the nurses brought in.

"Oh my goodness, isn't he cool?" one of the ladies whispered jubilantly as they walked out.

"I know right! Those brown eyes, blond hair and handsome smile!" the other squealed dreamily.

Dino blushed, Kusakabe sweat-dropped, Aunt Sara grinned and Hibari 'tch'ed.

"You worked hard getting popular instead of useful".

"DAMN YOU KYOYA! STOP BREAKING MY POOR HEART ALREADY!"

Kusakabe and Aunt Sara could only laugh as the two boys continued bickering.

~.~.~.~.~

Bossu: Boss (can tell right)


	10. Chapter 10

Hiiiii everyone! !~ :D I'm finally freed from the hellish tedious exam period that lasted for eight days, so I apologise for this late update. Anyway, Gokudera will be calling Tsuna "Sawada-san" in this story, since there's no Vongola. But his high respect and admiration for him will still live on! LOL :D

Enjoy!~

~.~.~.~.~

"HIIIIEEE! Kimi tachi, hayaku! We're going to be late!" Sawada Tsunayoshi urged frantically as he dashed down the path in lightning speed, his friends following close on his heels.

"Hai, Sawada-san! It's all your fault for oversleeping, yakyu baka!" Gokudera Hayato hissed with angry marks flying about his head at the ever happy-go-lucky Yamamoto Takeshi, who merely laughed light-heartedly as usual, "hahaha… sorry, I stayed up late last night to play the newest Xbox baseball game. Man, it was so fun!"

"We should really ban you from baseball and see if you can even survive a day without it!"

"This is no freaking time to be quarrelling, guys! We're gonna get bitten to death if we don't reach school on time!" Tsuna suddenly flinched and halted in his tracks abruptly causing his friends to bump at him and the trio tumbled to the ground. "W-What's wrong, Sawada-san?" Gokudera inquired rubbing his nose. "L-Listen…." Tsuna placed a finger to his lips.

"_Growl…"_

"Uh oh…."

"HIIIIIEEE!"

"RUUUUUUUUNNNN!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Che, those fools arrived late again," Chitto from the Disciplinary Committee grumbled in annoyance as he tapped his foot and watched the three idiots ran for their lives with frightened, sweaty faces into the school compound, panting and cursing as they stopped in front of the prefect.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi, this is the fifth time you are late for school and you jolly well know you have to bear the obvious consequences," Chitto said as he whipped out a small notebook out of nowhere.

"HIIIIE! We're definitely going to get bitten to death by Hibari-san!" Tsuna pulled at his hair in panic, while Yamamoto grinned cheekily, "maa, maa, senpai. You should hear us out first".

"I don't give a damn—"

"We were late partly because I overslept as I was up playing a game last night and then we were running to school but then we heard a growl and realised it was a dog so we started running around the entire town in dunno how many rounds 'cause it was soooo persistent in chasing us and probably biting us to death just like Hibari-senpai (hahahaha) and then when it finally got tired we escaped but then we kept tripping along the way as we haven't recovered from our anxiety so we ended up being even more late and so here we are (hahaha)!"

_~Silence—~_

"Like my story? Hahaha!" Yamamoto chuckled, holding his head with his hands.

Face palmed. "A baseball idiot will always be a baseball idiot".

"Come on, Gokudera. You should try story telling for once! It's kinda fun, you know!"

"Like hell I will do that!"

Sweat dropped. "Sigh…. They never change huh?"

'_Dear Chairman, _

_Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi from class 2-A had been late for school again on 18__th__ September, Wednesday, yet they showed no remorse for their lack of punctuality. I strongly suggest that we give them a heavier punishment this time to make them learn their lesson. _

_Yours sincerely_

_Chitto'_

CHOMP!

Chitto's jaw dropped as a furry cat that appeared out of nowhere munched on its not-supposed-to-be-edible lunch, shredding the pages with its sharp teeth and claws, "my notebook!"

"AHHH! Uri! Where the hell did you come from?!" Gokudera grabbed the cat roughly by its collar but in turn received countless painful scratches on his face, "arrrgh! Stop it, you #%^*!" Yamamoto, as laidback as ever, howled with amused laughter, "hahahahaha! Why hello there, little guy! Long time no see!" "Gokudera-kun, why did you bring your cat to school?!" Tsuna exclaimed, sweat-dropping at the sight of the master and pet bickering violently due to their constant 'bad' relationship. "I didn't! He must have sneaked into my bag when I wasn't looking! Damn it, I already told you there are no catnips in my bag!"

Meanwhile, the poor prefect Chitto was twitching and shaking like a leaf as his mind whirled in fear and horror of his destroyed notebook, _'oh my freaking hell! This is the umpteenth time my notebook got damaged! First it was ran over by a stupid car when I accidentally dropped it on the road, then it was eaten by a stupid dog, then it was pooed on by a stupid bird, and then it was stepped on by crowds of stupid people, and then… and then…. Arrgh! I can't remember! Chairman is going to bite me to deaaaaaath!' _

Tsuna and his friends watched in awkwardness at the hyperventilating Chitto who was eccentrically stretching his cheeks and slapping himself, but their attention switched to Kusakabe who entered the scene with a friendly smile.

"Kusakabe-san!" Tsuna beamed in relief at the only one from the Disciplinary Committee who he claimed was kind.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sawada-san, Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san," Kusakabe greeted each of them with a slight bow politely, "never mind Chitto, but oh, I see you are late again".

"We are dead, aren't we?" Tsuna sniffed.

"Not really. Hibari is absent from school".

"EHHH?!"

"That overly obsessed and protective Namimori tonfa freak isn't here?!" Gokudera yelled in disbelief while he stuffed Uri into his bag.

"He's human, after all. Maybe he got sick," Yamamoto interjected.

"Iie. Hibari refused to leave Namimori Central Hospital for the past week," Kusakabe explained.

"The hospital? Why? Was he badly injured?" Tsuna asked, but a contradicting thought immediately flashed into his mind, _'that is IMPOSSIBLE!' _

"…. He was looking after someone," Kusakabe murmured so vaguely that the three boys almost could not catch it, as though he was hesitating to tell them. However, they were glad that they managed to slip away from the wrath of the head prefect in his absence.

"Demo…."

"?"

"I still need to record your names".

"HELL NOOOOO!"

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari kept his promise and stayed by Chrome's side even overnight for the entire long week. He stubbornly refused to step a foot out of the hospital and threatened to bite anyone who tried to make him leave the room to death. Dino would occasionally come to check on him and Chrome and Aunt Sara, being the lovely soul she was, prepared free meals for him in return for 'helping' them watch over Chrome. Hibari pushed all the Disciplinary Committee jobs to Kusakabe and the rest of the men, unless the work specifically required his attention. His sole current objective was to protect Nagi and be there for her when she finally woke up.

Sometimes, though, Hibari would use the paperwork that his vice chairman brought to him as a distraction from his heartfelt guilt and regret of causing Nagi this awful predicament. He felt that he was partly responsible for her plight and blamed himself continuously for being incapable of protecting her from the dark cruel fingers of grave danger. Whenever Aunt Sara secretly peeked through the ajar door, a knife would pierce her heart at the vulnerable scene of Hibari holding Chrome's hand and brushing her hair fondly as he mumbled phrases of apology.

"_Nagi, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you well enough. If I had been more careful, I wouldn't have let those herbivorous bastards steal you away and harm you to this extent. Biting that shitty herbivorous gangster boss to death wasn't enough to make up to you. Nagi, I'm sorry. Forgive me". _

Hibari was even spotted kissing Chrome, whether it was on her forehead, cheek, hand, eyelid or lips. Aunt Sara could directly feel the pain Hibari's heart suffered from the tragic atmosphere, and it deepened even more whenever Hibari hugged Chrome as if letting her go would be the same as letting the entire world that meant so much to him shatter.

"_Nagi…. What's taking you so long? When are you going to wake up? Damn those ****ing herbivores…. I swear when we die, I will look for them in the afterworld and truly bite them to death! … Nagi, wake up and be with me again. Nagi... I…." _

She could not hear his last words, but she knew she did not have to guess. From the movement of his lips, she could already tell what he said to the girl he adored so much.

Hibari, although he knew right from the beginning that Aunt Sara was there behind the door thanks to his incredible sense of hawk-like hearing and sight, shut her out from his world where the only people present were Chrome and him. He did not even care if his injuries were not completely healed, so long as they were not a hindrance to his strict 'surveillance' of Chrome.

"Hibari-kun, be a good boy and let me check the wounds on your stomach and back," Aunt Sara smiled as she waited for the boy to reluctantly turn around on the stool and slip off his shirt to reveal the bulky bandage on his muscular back. She gently pried it off, cleaned the wound and replaced the bloody bandage with a new one. She repeated that step with his stomach wound. "Good, they are healing and sealing up fast," Aunt Sara said, patting Hibari's shoulder. Not long after, Dr. Isagari entered the room for Chrome's daily medicine procedure.

Hibari gently lifted Chrome up by the back of her head so that Dr. Isagari could easily insert the tube into her mouth. As the doctors watched the liquid flow through the tube into the patient's mouth, they did not fail to notice the sweet, tender expression of Hibari Kyoya as he stared at Chrome's beautiful face. His steel grey eyes softened, his lips drawn in a straight line, his free hand clasped hers.

~.~.~.~.~

"Hmm…. Hibari-san looking after someone?" Tsuna mused with his finger to his chin.

"Unbelievable… I thought that guy's mind is only filled with _'the school…the school'_, and it's definitely _not_ a person," Gokudera closed his eyes and set into his serious thinking mode.

"Is there even someone that Hibari cares for?" Yamamoto scratched his head as he leant against the fence of the rooftop.

A realization suddenly dawned upon the three best nakama.

"_HIBIRD?!"_

"Hahaha! Even if that's true, I don't think Hibird will be in a human hospital. He should be seeing a vet instead," Yamamoto grinned cheerfully.

"Who knows? Namimori Hospital is after all the only one that Hibari trusts, right Sawada-san?" Gokudera turned to Tsuna who hit his fist to his palm, "that's right! I haven't seen that eye patch-wearing girl hanging around recently. Wonder who she is".

"Oh! You mean that girl who's always with Hibari? I overheard a conversation between Kusakabe and another prefect that she's blind, that's why she needs Hibari to guide her most of the time".

"Another unbelievable thing! Hibari hanging out with a random girl? He must be possessed by a UMA! I'm 100% sure of it!"

"Chotto matte…. If Hibari-san isn't here, then that girl won't be either. So since Kusakabe-san said he's looking after someone in the hospital, maybe it's….her".

_~Silence—~_

"Whoa. Haha… Hibari must have a really soft spot for her to sacrifice his duties in school to care for her".

_~Silence—~_

_~A dead leaf flew by—~_

_~A crow went "aaahh… aaahh… aaahh…."—~_

"HIIIIIIEEE!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"UMA! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

~.~.~.~.~

"C'mon, Kyoya….."

"No".

"Kyoyaaaa~"

"No".

"It's just a small bonding lunch with me and Romario. Three people aren't considered a crowd, okay?"

"No".

"Hibird will be my dinner for tonight if you continue with your 'no's".

"….. Provided that you can find him when I can't, you failure of a so-called boss".

"HEEEY! My heart is already cut up into dunno how many parts by you! Besides, you can stretch yourself and relax after staying in this room for so long. Aren't you tired?"

"No. Enough with your nonsensical talk or I'll bite you to death".

_Knock. Knock. _

"Hibari-kun, Dino-kun," Aunt Sara smiled gleefully, "can you guys, for once, leave the room for just a few minutes because we need to do a thorough check on Chrome-chan's condition. Please? Like… right now?"

"No—"

"Perfect! See, Kyoya! This is the chance for you to get out and get some fresh air or you will go insane! Come, let's go down to the hospital's cafeteria for our buddy-bonding lunch!" Dino grabbed Hibari's collar and literally dragged him out of the room, ignoring all his grunts and protests as he struggled to break free from his herbivore-infected grasp. Aunt Sara sweat-dropped as she heard the commotion of Dino being bitten to death by Hibari afterwards.

~.~.~.~.~

Romario watched nervously by the sidelines as the tension between Hibari and his boss tightened up and at the eerie aura that both of the men emitted. A ray of electricity sparkled dangerously between their solemn eyes, and they silently read each other's expressions to anticipate their next move. No one made a step for a few minutes, just fumbling with their own items, until Dino smirked which caused Hibari's eyebrow to rise.

"There!" and Dino proceeded in the battlefield.

Hibari smirked, "too slow".

"Huh? No, I did it—"

Hibari charged in and claimed the trophy, "check mate".

Dino's jaw fell and his hands twitched comically while Hibari merely smiled mockingly at him. "No! This is too unfair! I suck at chess!" Dino pouted childishly and spread out the items of another game which he believed was to his benefit.

"Hahahaha!" he laughed with an evil glint in his brown eyes, "this time, you're going to bow down to me at my feet!"

"You made a big mistake to underestimate me just because you think I never played western games before," within two minutes, Hibari had already stolen victory from the Italian adult, "Royal Straight Flash…..again".

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Dino wailed in sadistically funny depression as he buried his face in his arms leaning on the table, while Hibari who had an imaginary demonic appearance chuckled in sarcasm of Dino's no-goodness despite the presence of Romario. His awesomeness probably only worked in times of real crisis.

Their moment of carefree fun was short lived as it was interrupted by the ringing of Dino's mobile phone. The unexpected surprised gasp from his mouth alerted the other men and Hibari immediately rushed off without a care about anything else the instant Dino exclaimed, "Chrome's awake?!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Get out of my way," Hibari shoved himself through the doctors as he approached the bed and gaped a little at Chrome who was leaning upright against the pillow. Aunt Sara beamed brightly at him and released her hold on Chrome's hand, "Chrome-chan dear, your prince charming is here".

Hibari sat down on the bed and cupped the girl's cheeks, brushing her hair that tickled her petite face away. Chrome's eye widened at the warm familiar touch, involuntarily reaching out to caress Hibari's cheek.

"Nagi…." Dino, Kusakabe and Romario arrived in time to hear Hibari say Chrome's nickname. He missed that beautiful eye that shone at him whenever they locked gazes, and the adorable natural blush of Chrome that disappeared in her state of coma.

"H-Hibari-san…." Nagi smiled, finally getting her melodious voice back. Tears of jubilation streamed down from her eye and stained Hibari's palm, "Hibari-san…. I-is that…really y-you?"

"Of course. Sigh…. Took you so long to wake up, huh Nagi? But…." Hibari enveloped Nagi into an embrace full of joy, relief and warmth. Nagi snaked her arms weakly around Hibari's neck and hid her face in his shoulder, the fabric absorbing the water drops and leaving dark patches. Dino was itching to fling out his cellphone and snap a picture, but Hibari would surely murder him. Besides, in his opinion, this scene was too romantic that he could not bear to ruin.

Everyone grinned in bliss. Chrome, after being captured by coma, had at long last found a route in her dreams to walk out of its dominance.

"H-Hibari-san…." Chrome whispered.

"Hm?"

"I-I haven't reply you yet, have I?"

"What do you mean, Nagi?"

"… ….."

"!" Hibari pulled back slowly, and what the others did not expect was he_ smiled_ at Chrome and crashed his lips to hers.

"BWAAAH!" a huge amount of blood literally flew out of Dino's nose and he fainted. The other spectators became red in embarrassment and coughed and coughed, while Hibari was totally oblivious of the drama he caused by his bold action in front of them. His mind was only focused on savouring Nagi's lips that had gained back their real tastiness.

"Kyoya….really, next time, _warn me first_!"

~.~.~.~.~

Nagi's smile had not faded ever since she woke up an hour ago. She held Hibari's hands tenderly to her chest, and Hibari was inwardly fighting with himself about not moving his hands _anywhere else_ or he would really be molesting her.

"Nagi, I have something to tell you".

"Yes, Hibari-san?"

Hibari sighed. If he had a choice, he would not want to say this, but it would eventually be known in the end. He rather he spat it out to her now or he would break her heart even more by delaying it. He noticed Aunt Sara's downcast expression too.

"Nagi, the truth is… You were poisoned by a drug those herbivorous monsters invented, that's why you were forced to sleep for so long. But the worse thing is….your legs….are temporarily paralysed which explains why you can't move or even feel them".

As expected, Chrome's smile was gone. She 'stared' at Hibari almost emotionlessly, but Hibari swore he saw faint tears resting on the base of her lone eye. Being blind was more than enough, why must such an unfortunate situation befall on her? She was half paralysed! Who knew how long it could last?

Hibari cursed at himself again, and gave a quick peck on Chrome's lips, "My apologies, Nagi. My opponents were weak herbivores, yet I couldn't fully protect you".

Chrome, sensing the closeness of their lips, kissed him back, "i-it's all right, Hibari-san. It wasn't your fault at all. Thank you so much for saving me… Thank you so much for selflessly sacrificing everything for me….your body, your desires, your heart…. Arigato".

"….." Hibari squeezed her hands affectionately. Her brilliant smile, whether it was fake or not, was all Chrome needed to show the power of her will.

"It doesn't matter how bad my physical health is, whether I'm blind or paralysed, as long as my body and soul are still alive".

Aunt Sara walked over to her and hugged her, "I'm so proud of you, Chrome-chan. You have really grown".

"Aunt Sara…arigato," Nagi beamed, "I missed you so much. I thought I'll never meet you again after I moved away from the mansion".

"Fate has allowed our paths to cross once again. Say, how are things in your new home with M.M.? Oh! I need to inform her that you're _'awakened from the realm of the dead'_. That's not my line, by the way".

Hibari knew that Nagi, however hurt her heart was, cared about her friends more than her own life and would try her very best to stay firm in front of them to wash away their pain of seeing her cry.

~.~.~.~.~

Kimi tachi: You guys

Hayaku: Hurry

Yakyu: Baseball

Maa maa: Now now

Senpai: Senior

Nakama: Friends/Comrades

UMA: **U**nidentified **M**ysterious **A**lien/**A**nimal (Only in KHR, as far as I know)

~.~.~.~.~

So….has anyone figured out what Hibari said to Chrome in the bathroom in Chapter 7? Plus what Chrome said to him in the "… ….." in this chapter? Oh! And fill up the blank in the summary! For those who know, shhh… :)

Sayonara! Don't forget to review! :D


	11. Chapter 11

"_Gomenasai. Your parents left your sister just 20 minutes ago. They refused to donate their organs to save her," the doctor said grimly to the young boy, who bit his lip and clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white in pure hatred and anguish. _

"_Those bullshit bastards…. They're her parents, for hell's sake! Can't they do something good for her for once? She doesn't deserve this at all!" he shook his head and bit the inside of his cheek to fight back the dam of furious tears behind his eyelids. The doctor patted his head in deep sympathy, "we're terribly sorry. We couldn't find any healthy donor in the hospital to replace her damaged organs either. I'm afraid her only way to not endure all this pain is…." _

_The boy glared up at him, "no! I can't let Chrome die! I won't be able to live or die in peace if that happens! My cute little sister didn't do anything in her past or current life to deserve all this crap! ….. Doctor, I have a request". _

_All the doctors, nurses and even some other patients who were there to witness the boy's decision left the area crying. _

_~.~.~.~.~_

"_Chrome-chan… Chrome-chan… Are you all right?" _

"…_.. W-Who's t-there….?" _

"_It's I, Aunt Sara. You don't have to be scared anymore… You're…safe now". _

_The fragile girl weakly pried her swollen eyelid open and calmly took in gasps of breath, feeling the aftermath of her surgery. She felt a warm hand gently grabbed her cold ones but also felt that they were getting wet. _

"_Everything's f-fine now, Chrome-chan. It's all right…. Don't be too s-sad, o-okay?" Aunt Sara's quaky voice stabbed Chrome's weak heart and increased the number of butterflies fluttering crazily in her stomach. Wait…her stomach? _

"_Aunt Sara, are you crying? And why is my stomach still intact? Why am I still alive?" _

"_Chrome-chan, your failed organs were replaced with the ones from a donor. That's why you can live. That's why you're all right". _

"_R-Really? Who is that kind person? I want to thank him or her". _

_Aunt Sara closed her eyes in a lugubrious manner, but it was now or never to reveal the truth of the person who did not express a single sign of hesitation to save her life. _

"_Your brother". _

_Chrome felt her heart stop beating and time froze. Please, kami, tell her what she just heard was a lie. A lie! _

"_He sacrificed himself for you". _

_The jigsaw puzzles of the world slowly broke loose from their bonds._

"_H-He died"._

"_N-No…. No way… It can't be…. O-Onichan…"_

"_Chrome-chan…"_

"_IIIIEEEEE! !" Chrome shrieked at the top of her lungs, the bleeding cuts on her hands opening up from the force of her gripping onto the bed sheets, her legs jumping up a little and kicking at the bed rail. Aunt Sara and the other doctors desperately held the screaming girl down by her violent limbs. _

"_Chrome-chan! P-Please calm down!"_

"_IIEE! I WANT HIM BACK! I WANT MY ONICHAN BACK! I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE! I'LL RATHER KILL MYSELF! ONICHAAAAAAAAN! !" _

_Chrome lost unconsciousness out of extreme desolation. _

_Her beloved brother, who unconsciously gave her his love even before she was born, when she was still growing in their mother's womb, and when their parents ill-treated her, passed away just like that. _

_The boy died protecting her from death. _

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari examined the photograph of Chrome and her big brother in his hand. Her younger self used to have long hair and she still had a complete pair of violet eyes. She was smiling so elatedly by her brother's side. Apparently she adopted her pineapple hairstyle from him after his death, saying she wanted to keep a part of him as a precious memory with her, even if she could not see it.

"Mukuro Dokuro".

"So desu. That's his name," Aunt Sara grinned, "he was such a nice boy".

'_Hmm… Strange, I should be grateful to him, but why does seeing that face of his irks me?' _Hibari narrowed his eyes at the photograph, _'somehow…. I wanna kill him… I wanna kill him!'_

Somewhere in heaven, Mukuro sneezed, "ACHOO! ….. Kufufufufu…now who is the little rascal who got the guts to backstab me this time?"

"Onichan…" Chrome cried in melancholy and buried her face in Hibari's chest. Hibari kissed her forehead while running his hands up and down her back to soothe her. Aunt Sara looked glumly at the little girl who lost her brother, the only one who ever loved her before M.M. came into the picture, at such a young age, "she still has yet to recover from the tragedy".

~.~.~.~.~

_Chrome's tiny feet pressed down on the green field of grass as she got out of the shade of an oak tree. Her white dress danced in the cool breeze that harassed her body, and her senses brought her to stroll towards the river. The translucent skin of the water glittered under the morning light, and Chrome could distinguish the croaking of bullfrogs, chirping of sparrows, rustling of leaves and the rest was peace. _

"_My cute Chrome". _

_Chrome gasped and turned blindly about to the source of the voice. Her hands rubbing her arms that were exposed to the wind, she whispered, "w-who's there?" _

"_Kufufufu… My dear Chrome, I'm behind you". _

_Chrome recognised that voice anywhere. Her eye glistened and a hue of blush made its way to her cheeks, "o-oni…chan?" _

_Mukuro walked over to his little sister and tapped her shoulders, "kufufu… Look how much you have grown, my kawaii Chrome. I'm so proud of you for having made it this far". _

"_O-Onichan!" Chrome wrapped her arms around Mukuro's waist and sobbed despondently, and her brother returned the hug, his eyebrows ceased in a row at the woebegone appearance of Chrome. "Onichan… I miss you so much… I-I don't want you to leave me again… Please…" she begged distraughtly, "I love you, onichan". _

_Mukuro smiled sweetly, "me too, my cute little Chrome. But you know this is just a dream, a temporary connection between the minds of the dead and a person in coma. We won't be able to meet in reality anymore. But in any case…." he stroked her hair, and awed at its smoothness, "you will always be my adorable little sister, no matter what"._

_Those phrases that never failed to melt her heart, and he deserved the one thing that he truly loved about her. _

_Her smile. _

"_Be strong and happy, my dear Chrome. That's the only wish your brother has for you". _

_They might not be able to spend time together again. She could not laugh with her entire heart at his hilarious jokes, she could not play piggy back rides with him again, and she could no longer confide her hidden grief to his listening ears. But she understood that whatever the cost, no matter where her brother was right now, he would forever be living within her. Their love for each other would never lose its glow. _

_A trigger sparked in Chrome's mind and eventually her soul returned to her body lying on the hospital bed, "o-onichan…."_

~.~.~.~.~

Chrome sat quietly on the bedside, twiddling her thumbs as Hibari sat in front of her on a stool, engrossed in his paperwork. His reading glasses made him look like a very cool sensei.

Nagi suddenly felt her chest went heavy and swallowed a lodge in her throat. Her stomach churned in qualm as another flashback, this time an even more disturbing one, whirled in her head.

"_To prevent your paralysis from worsening, we need to arrange for a suitable date to conduct an operation on your legs," Dr. Isagari announced to Chrome and her friends. _

"_An o-operation?" Nagi trembled, clinging onto Hibari. Hibari patted her back and turned to the doctor, unintentionally glaring at him, "what do you mean by that?" _

_Dr. Isagari gulped, "ano… W-Well, if we just leave her legs to recover on their own, her nerves may have a higher risk of 'growing old' and becoming permanently unable to function"._

"_Y-You mean…she may become permanently paralysed?" Dino gasped. Dr. Isagari nodded._

_Nagi cupped her mouth and tears were threatening to spill. Hibari kissed her temple, "I won't let that happen, Nagi. Don't worry". Kusakabe pointed out, "but don't we need to seek permission from Chrome-san's parents?" _

"_Oh, that _is _troublesome," Aunt Sara sighed, "I had informed them about their daughter's admission to the hospital by the contacts M.M. gave me, but you know what they said? It was something that parents should never say to their children. I felt so sorry for Chrome-chan". _

_Nagi's clutch onto Hibari's shirt increased its strength. _

"_Besides your parents' approval, are you all right with the surgery idea, Dokuro-san?" Dr. Isagari enquired cautiously, not wanting to force her into anything she disliked, even though it might be for her own good. Chrome bit her lip, and 'looked' pleadingly at Hibari for his opinion. "Can you guarantee that she would be able to walk normally after the surgery?" Hibari asked seriously. _

"_Well, provided that it is successful—"_

"_I don't want that lousy answer. Can you guarantee it or not?" _

"_Y-Yes! We'll do our best!" _

"_Bear this in mind, herbivore. If the surgery is a failure, I. WILL. BITE. YOU. TO. DEATH!" _

_Every time Hibari emphasized on each word, stars exploded behind Dr. Isagari's eyes. "I suggest that you undergo the operation, Nagi. If those herbivores fail I'll simply kill them all," Hibari touched Chrome's cheek, and watched her reluctantly nod. "We'll support you, Chrome! You don't have to worry too much!" Dino grinned toothily. Nagi forced a smile. _

'_Iie, I'm scared… I'm scared of them cutting up my body… I d-don't want to feel the pain… I'm scared…' _Nagi clamped her hands on the sides of her head, crystals gushing out of her puffy eye, _'I'm scared…..'_

Hibari widened his eyes at her sudden breakdown, tossed his materials and glasses away and hugged her. "What's wrong, Nagi?" Hibari's breath tickled her neck, sending chills down her spine and goosebumps all over her, "is it about the operation?"

Oh, how well he knew her.

"It's all right. Everything will be fine. I'll be with you, whether directly by your side or somewhere further but still close".

"Y-You can't e-enter the room with m-me?"

"I don't think so, even if I want to. My presence may affect those herbivores' performance. But believe that I'll always be with you, ready to help you anytime. Don't be afraid," Hibari pulled away a little and kissed Chrome deeply. Nagi let her eye shut close and responded.

Hibari gently pushed her down until her back came into contact with the bed. His left arm wrapped around her waist while his right cushioned her head, kissing her ever so passionately.

An idiot just had to barge in and spoil the moment.

"CIAO, KYOYA AND CHROME! I BROUGHT YOU YOUR FAVOURITE DRINKS— GWAAAAAAH! !" down went Dino onto the floor at the doorway in a mixture of blood, orange and coconut juices.

Dark menacing aura and (tada!) tonfas out, "KAMIKUROSU!"

"HIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAA! !"

"…. Whoa. Who died this time?"

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari pushed Chrome on a wheelchair into the tranquil garden of the hospital. He stopped her by the wooden round table and sat across her, holding her dainty hands and watching the koi swim freely in the pond.

"Hibari-san?" Chrome called out.

"Hm?"

"After the operation…will I get discharged?"

"You probably need to rest a few more days before you can".

"But I can go home soon after that, right? I really miss it… I want to visit my apartment too".

"I don't see the reason why not," Hibari kissed her hands lovingly, making her blush. He smirked and leant in to meet his lips with hers, his hand teasing the skin of her slender thigh as he trailed it up and into her shorts. His other hand slid under her shirt and her moans stimulated him to go further. His lips drew back from hers and switched to kissing her neck. Chrome giggled surprisingly at the ticklish sensation and playfully slapped Hibari's shoulder.

"You like that? Good then…" Hibari began licking her neck, more vigorously as he travelled to her collarbone and shoulder. Hibari impatiently pulled their bodies against each other until there was completely no gap and nibbled on her bottom lip. Nagi shut her eye tight and tried to keep up with his intensity, shifting in the wheelchair and enjoying the pleasure brought by the heat of (ahem) making out.

Again, the same ONE HELL OF AN IDIOT who never learnt his lesson just had to barge in at their moment, and ended up with the same fate.

"You stupid bucking bronco! You really have a death wish that you want to grant, huh?!" it was a sight to see Hibari so worked up.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE ONLY A FREAKING TEENAGER! HOW CAN YOU ENGAGE IN SUCH SEXUAL ACTIVITIES?!" Dino screamed with comical tears bawling out, pointing an accusing finger at Hibari. A vein popped in Hibari's head and he forcefully pressed his foot onto Dino's bruised face, "there is no law about how old I must be to kiss Chrome! And don't talk like we did anything else apart from that!"

"Really, boys," Aunt Sara gave each of the fighting maniacs a pull by the ear, earning an "OW OW OW!" from Dino and a "let go or I'll bite you to death, stupid herbivore!" from Hibari. Chrome blinked twice in confusion. One instant she was having a little (ahem) public affection with Hibari and the next she heard him beating the crap out of Dino.

"Why were you quarreling again, if I may ask?" Aunt Sara huffed with her hands on her hip.

"KYOYA WAS _MAKING OUT_ WITH CHROME!" Dino blurted out.

"This piece of shit was illegally spying on us," Hibari retorted.

"YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO DO SUCH THINGS!"

"Again there is no rule that we can't! Get that into your useless herbivorous head!"

"NO WAY IN HELL WILL I ALLOW IT!"

"I don't take orders from anyone, especially not you!"

"CHICKEN NUGGET!"

"****ING HANUEMA!"

"Hey, hey! I didn't tell you to start World War III!" Aunt Sara exclaimed, slapping her palm to her forehead and turning to Chrome, "you're okay, right dear?"

"O-Of course, Aunt Sara. Why wouldn't I be?" Chrome blinked.

"Kyoya raped you, Chrome!" Dino cried, "we ought to discipline him!"

"E-Eh?"

Hibari lost his temper and smacked Dino with his tonfa, "there's a big difference between 'raping' and 'making out', stupid bronco! Use the correct word!"

"What did M.M. say about raping?" Chrome mused innocently, "oh yes, forcing someone to have sex. Oh, if that's the case, Hibari-san wasn't raping me, Dino-san. He was simply…erm…"

"Having the time of his life kissing and touching Nagi," Hibari smirked, and that was the cue for Dino to pour out another large amount of blood from his one-day-going-to-be-bloodless nose and pass out. Nagi flushed crimson at Hibari's statement and Aunt Sara shook her head, "I should have known… Hibari Kyoya is a PERVERT!"

~.~.~.~.~

"You're still alive?" Hibari raised his eyebrow at Dino, who had rolls of tissue stuck in his nostrils and his right-hand man fanning him like a servant to the king. Dino grouched something along the lines of _'Kyoya can't get a girlfriend before me'_.

"What are you herbivores still doing here? I want to be alone with Nagi," Hibari said leaning his forehead to Chrome's who straddled his lap. "It's my last day with you before my operation tomorrow, Hibari-san," Chrome groaned in disappointment. Hibari stroked her cheek with his index and middle fingers, "come on. Don't say as though you will never be with me again".

"UH UH UH, KYOYA!" Dino shook his finger sideways in a nagging motherly gesture, "You of all people cannot stay alone with Chrome or you are confirmed going to RAPE! HER! AGAIN!"

THWACK! CRASH! WHAM! BLAM! RAM! BASH!

"HHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! !"

Off the Cavallone boss got sent on a second visit to the infirmary and stayed there in a mummified form, whimpering and whining like a baby whose itchy teeth bit too hard and spoilt his precious pacifier that he ecstatically received on his birthday.

~.~.~.~.~

Onichan: Big brother

Kawaii: Cute

Sensei: Teacher

Ciao: Hello (Italian)

Hanuema: Horse (Italian)

~.~.~.~.~

Yay! Mukuro's here! Although in this story he's dead. :( Don't get me wrong, I love him right after Hibari. Oh, it was kinda hard for me to write making out scenes, hahaha :D But hope I didn't screw it up.

By the way, 'CHICKEN NUGGET' belongs to me. Please don't use it anywhere else. Bye!~


	12. Chapter 12

Chrome opened her mouth and let the spoon carrying the piece of dessert enter, savouring the sweetness and crunchiness that lingered for a while. She felt a soft silk handkerchief wipe away the brown stains beside her mouth. Her palm was tapped and she munched on another piece of delicious brownie before swallowing it down her throat.

"Thank you for buying me cakes again, Hibari-san," she smiled sincerely, "did you buy them from the same shop?"

"Yeah, somehow I only trust that one," Hibari replied, this time lightly shoving a piece of pandan layer cake into Chrome's mouth, "there was once I went to another shop and almost choked on a tiny herbivorous egg shell".

"Bless you, Hibari-san," Chrome giggled with her fist to her lips.

"Does your stomach still have enough space to contain one more blueberry cake?"

"Yup! Why not?"

Hibari grinned and began to feed her again, watching her cheeks warm up with a tint of pink and her lips curving up as she chewed on the cakes. He glanced at his wristwatch, frowning at the thought of needing to send Chrome for the dreaded yet important operation that determined whether she could walk or not for the rest of her life in just a few hours' time. He experimentally touched Chrome's lap, and her not flinching only meant that she could not feel her legs at all, that she was seriously paralysed. He still had not forgiven those Kaiju gangsters who held the most responsibilities yet, he bet, did not feel a single sense of guilt.

He acted on impulse again and touched her shoulder blade, kissing her lips in the progress. He drew back to see her widened eye and reddened cheeks. He was worried for her, worried that her life would be even more broken in the case that the surgery failed. But no! The surgery _must_ be a success! Or he would simply carry out his promise, _bite everyone to death! _

"Hibari-san?" Chrome whispered, wondering why he suddenly kissed her. However she could somehow tell that Hibari was not being in his normal self, noticing how sloppy the kiss was. He would usually be more aggressive and lustful, but sometimes gentler.

"You will be all right," Hibari reassured, squeezing Chrome's hands, but at the same time he was consoling his heart, "you will be all right". Nagi's eye watered at the indirect mention of the operation, but also because she was touched by Hibari's unconditional care for her. She randomly grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you for worrying about me, Hibari-san. But it's okay, I'll be okay…" she sobbed and smiled when Hibari hugged her back.

The door swung open at this moment.

Hibari glared daggers at the visitor, who smiled, or rather, _pretended_ to smile sheepishly, "did I accidentally interrupt something?"

"Yes, you did, stupid herbivore. You are late," Hibari grumbled at the red head.

"There's something called traffic congestion in the human world, alien," M.M. retorted back.

Chrome released herself from Hibari's hold and turned to the direction of the voice she missed so much, "M.M.?"

"Yo, baka," M.M. smirked, "I met that idiotic blonde along the way and he complained all about catching you guys having intimate moments secretly". Nagi blushed in embarrassment while Hibari corrected, "secretly? There was never a need for us to do those things secretly. We do it as and when we like, _anywhere_".

"Whatever, you hentai".

"Oh great, a new nickname for me".

"H-How are you, M.M.?" Chrome quickly changed the topic to distract the duo from burning each other's eyes with their lightning strikes. "Hmph, I'm fine, baka. Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" M.M. replied, plopping casually down on the bed, while commenting how cozy and bouncy it was.

"I'm fine too. Just a little…."

"Scared? What for? It's not like you're gonna die from the surgery. Besides, you won't feel the pain since you will be injected with anesthesia and you will soon fall into sleep, if that's what you're worried about".

"R-Really? But won't the injection be p-painful?"

"Come on, it's just an ant bite. And it only lasts for a few seconds".

"…. W-What if….?"

"What is it this time?"

"What if they forget to give me anesthesia?"

"Good! It's your chance to sue them and kick them to hell!"

Hibari just watched silently as M.M. answered Chrome's doubts and fears.

~.~.~.~.~

"H-Hibari-san….d-don't leave me…." Chrome pleaded through her petrified tears, clinging onto Hibari's hands for her life as she laid on the ICU bed, anticipating the surgery to start at any minute. Hibari leant over and kissed her forehead reassuringly, "Nagi, it's all right. Don't be scared. You know I'll be nearby. I'll run in the moment something wrong pops up".

"Ha! Oh, sure of course you can do that in the middle of our business," Daema smirked sarcastically and Hibari glared at him warningly. "What are you doing here, Daema? Since when were you called to assist in the surgery? The last time I checked you had another diabetes patient to attend to," Kuroko asked in a clearly irritated tone, but was totally ignored. Dr. Isagari adjusted his spectacles and coughed, "Daema, go do your job. And it's definitely not here".

Daema crossed his arms, "you're really biased, aren't you, director? You only called for this useless brat for major operations and left me out to do those boring stuff". Dr. Isagari amazingly replied his rebellious doctor calmly, "for the last time, Daema, I treat everyone fairly but if you're going to flee from your responsibilities I'll have to punish you".

"Herbivores," everyone turned to the annoyed voice of Hibari Kyoya, "stop your ridiculous quarrels right now and focus on Chrome. If the surgery really fails you guys won't live to see another day. Did I make myself clear?" Dr. Isagari immediately nodded in jitters and acceded to his 'request'.

Hibari waited for Chrome to fully close her eye as the anesthesia overwhelmed her and gave her a last squeeze of her hand before unwillingly walking out of the ICU room.

~.~.~.~.~

The operation approximately began at 2.30pm, and it might drag until the evening, or earlier or later, depending on how fast yet careful the doctors worked. Meanwhile, to kill time, Hibari strolled aimlessly around the corridors of the level and coincidentally met with Kusakabe halfway.

"Ah, Kyo-san. Good, I was looking for you," Kusakabe then reported the news from the police that they discovered more of the poisonous drugs in the form of tablets hidden intelligently in a small compartment of Ayoi Ozo's rocket shoes, another personal invention of his.

"Hn. Looks like that guy does have some brains," Hibari remarked, slotting his hands into his pockets. "Ayoi Ozo and his gang were sentenced to jail but will eventually be executed for too many crimes of murder," Kusakabe added.

"…. Hey, Tetsu".

"Yes, Kyo-san?"

"Why don't you tell the police to let me kill those herbivores instead? I want to avenge Chrome".

"Er… I doubt they will allow that since you are not legally licensed to do the execution".

"Che. How stupid".

"Mou, you boys are blocking my way," a nurse pouted behind Hibari, pushing a trolley of fresh food and beverages to be delivered to the patients. Hibari turned around to glare at her, but the instant the nurse got a good look of his face, she gasped with a hue of hot pink on her cheeks while covering her mouth in surprise.

"Hibari-kun!" she squealed like a fan girl who happened to bump into the idol she admired. Kusakabe was startled and Hibari raised his eyebrow, thinking, _'who the hell is she and how does she know my name? I'm gonna refer to her as a stalker!' _

The excited nurse shouted to the entire corridor of nurses while whooping in the air in mirth, "HEY, GIRLS! LOOK IT'S HIBARI KYOYA-KUN! !"

Hibari popped his eyes wide in a humorous manner while watching his vice chairman shielding him from the crowd of girls that had run to him from afar in 0.2 seconds, swooning over him with lovesick hearts flying about everywhere.

"HIBARI-KUN!"

"HIBARI-SAMA!"

"OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S HERE IN OUR HOSPITAL!"

"HIBARI-CHAN! NICE MEETING YOU!"

"HIBARI-SAN! PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!"

"KYAAAA! HE'S SO HANDSOME!"

"W-Wait, ladies! Please calm down! Don't crowd in front of Kyo-san!" Kusakabe exclaimed frantically, trying to push the nurses back as much as possible so that they could not reach his leader and roiled him.

"Tch, herbivores are so noisy," Hibari stalked off with an angry mark on his face, ignoring the clamouring of the crazy nurses who dumped their duties just to awe at him. Some even passed out due to excessive nosebleeds, and their fellow friends had to chase after their escaped but over the moon souls.

~.~.~.~.~

Hibari was currently stuck in Dr. Kobayashi Sara's office because the middle-aged head nurse reported him and 'dragged' him to the amused doctor. The nurse's choleric words that she threw at him like stones however fell on his deaf ears.

"We ought to kick this brat out of our hospital, doctor! He's been seducing our nurses and disrupting our line of work!" the nurse glowered at him.

"I didn't do anything of that sort. They got seduced themselves," Hibari closed his eyes and relaxingly crossed his legs and leant his palm to his face as his elbow pressed on the armrest of the reclined chair.

Devil horns grew out of the exasperated nurse's head as she gritted her teeth while Aunt Sara tried to calm her down, "maa, maa, Amy. It's not Hibari-kun's fault that he's so popular. Besides, he's been helping us a lot".

"Helping us a lot my ass!" Amy snapped and stormed out of the office.

Aunt Sara chuckled with her fingers crossed, "what were you doing, Hibari-kun?"

"I told you I wasn't seducing anyone".

"Not that. Why were you walking about in the corridor?"

"Where else do you want me to go while waiting for Chrome's surgery to end? And I was talking to Tetsu when a nurse attracted her other herbivorous friends".

"Ah, I see. Sigh… It's already 5.35pm," she said as she glanced at the clock.

The telephone rang just as Hibari's stomach growled. Aunt Sara suppressed a laugh while she answered the phone, "moshi moshi? This is Dr. Kobayashi. Oh, hi Naru!"

Hibari shot his eyes open when Aunt Sara gasped in exhilaration, "the surgery is successful?!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Dokuro-san, can you hear me?" Dr. Isagari asked, patting the girl's shoulder as the nurses assisted her in sitting up on the bed. "H-Hai, Dr. Isagari," Chrome replied weakly. Initially, she was even having difficulty opening her eye and could only breathe normally with the help of the oxygen mask. But as everyone kindly calmed her down with touching patience, she started to feel better although slight pain wrecked her nerves as the anesthesia wore off.

"Now, Dokuro-san, can you try to lift up your legs a little?" Dr. Isagari said gently.

Chrome nodded but when she could not she panicked again, "I-I can't…"

"It's all right. Take a deep breath and calm down. It's been quite a long time since you could move your legs. Try feeling them first".

Chrome heed the doctor's advice and breathed in deeply to calm her frightened heart that pumped against her ribcage. She then slowly felt her legs being linked to her upper body again and tried to heave them up. She heard the doctors cheer in delight and realised that she managed to lift up her right leg. With another arousal of motivation, she moved her left leg up as well and twiddled her toes.

"I-I did it, Dr. Isagari!" Chrome cried with tears of intoxication, stretching and bending her knees, "I did it!"

"Congratulations, Dokuro-san. I'm so happy for you," Dr. Isagari grinned then instructed a nurse to dial him through to Aunt Sara so that he could inform her of the good news.

Within a period of one minute, Hibari Kyoya had knocked (close to breaking down) at the door and demanded for entry.

"Hibari-san!" Chrome yelled in insouciance, "mitte, mitte! I can move my legs now!"

Hibari was stunned but regained his composure and hugged Chrome longingly. Nagi hugged him back while crying and laughing softly. "Whoa, Nagi, has the surgery turned you into a mad herbivore?" Hibari teased, sighing in great relief. Nagi smiled and kissed his cheek, "if that's the case, I've become mad for a good reason". Aunt Sara clapped her hands and gratefully bowed and thanked the doctors for their fruitful efforts.

"You can walk now, Chrome-chan!" Aunt Sara told Chrome, ruffling her purple hair.

"Hai, Aunt Sara. I'm so happy. Arigato gozaimasu shita, Dr. Isagari, minna-san. I can never thank you enough," Chrome beamed genially, her vivaciousness was beyond description.

"Herbivores," Hibari addressed the doctors, "I'll be paying for the surgery expenses".

"Eh? D-Doushite, Hibari-kun?" Aunt Sara blinked.

"It's my way of expressing what you herbivores call 'gratitude' for making Chrome able to walk again".

Dr. Isagari was about to reject his offer when he noticed the resolve in Hibari's handsome eyes. Despite all those threats, he still knew that the doctors were the only ones who could save Chrome, and when they did, he would obviously be thankful and want to repay them back in some sort of way.

"But, for the other aspects of the entire hospital bills for Chrome…" Hibari was in a dilemma. He wanted to pay for Chrome too, but he still had his own share to consider and he could not afford to use too much of his family fortune. "It's all right, Hibari-kun. I'll think of something for that part. You are helping more than enough already," Aunt Sara somewhat read his mind and assured him not to worry.

"Hibari-san, are you sure?" Nagi asked, tugging at his sleeve.

"Of course, Nagi. I'll do anything for you," Hibari leant in closer.

"…. Arigato, Hibari-san," Nagi smiled, and that was the cue for Hibari to capture her lips hungrily. The more innocent nurses screamed and diverted their eyes away from the romantic-but-should-be-censored scene, while the older doctors sweat-dropped or chuckled. Hibari licked Nagi's bottom lip and pulled away, smiling down at the shy girl.

~.~.~.~.~

"Woohoo! Yay, Chrome! We should take a walk in the park together someday!" Dino yelled the moment he received the news. Kusakabe also shook Chrome's hands to congratulate her as if she was the prize winner of an actress star award.

"Hai, we should. But Aunt Sara said I still need to rest for a few more days before I can go home," Chrome said in disappointment.

"No worries, Chrome! You should take care of yourself first then you'll feel better when we go out!" Dino gave her a one arm hug, much to Hibari's chagrin.

"Hmph. Are you going to continue to stay with Hibari Kyoya, baka Chrome?" M.M. asked while sucking a strawberry lollipop.

Chrome hesitated a bit, "well, I'll like to if Hibari-san doesn't mind—"

"Of course I won't, Nagi," Hibari replied instantly.

Chrome smiled but said, "demo…I don't want to leave M.M. alone either…."

"What? I'll be fine alone! It's not like I'll miss you or whatever," M.M. looked away to hide her slight blush.

"Hoh? What a great liar you are, herbivore," Hibari smirked sarcastically, causing a glare to shoot his way.

"It'll be best if both Hibari-san and M.M. can live with me together, don't you think?" Chrome suggested but sweat-dropped when she got an immediate "NO".

"Hmph. Tell you what, Chrome," M.M. spoke up, throwing the lollipop stick into the trash bin, "since you like Hibari Kyoya so much, stay with him. But if you so-called miss me, you can come back to the apartment anytime you want, it's still your home after all, or if he allows (for once), I can go visit you". Chrome nodded in agreement, "thank you so much for being with me all these years, M.M. I'll never ask for another cousin, just like I'll never ask for another onichan".

M.M.'s lips were twitching to form into a smile but her scowl quickly took over. Hibari however heard her mumble with a blush, "Mukuro-chan…."

Chrome giggled and whispered to Hibari, "M.M. had a secret crush on Onichan".

"GWAAH! WHY DID YOU TELL HIM, BAKA?!" M.M.'s blush deepened and her fist was itching to crash into Hibari's face to wipe off that teasing smirk. To cover up her embarrassment, M.M. used the excuse of having to help Chrome change her clothes to run away and hide in the toilet.

When the two girls came out, Aunt Sara and Dr. Isagari were present. However, they had rather austere expressions. M.M. raised an eyebrow at Hibari but he only shrugged his shoulders. Chrome jumped into Hibari's arms and sat on his lap, still quite unaware of the serious situation. M.M. followed Dino and leant against the wall while Kusakabe stood behind Hibari.

"Chrome-chan," Aunt Sara started with her smile still intact, "how are your legs?"

"They feel much better now. But I need a little more time to accustom to them and walk steadily. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Sara," Chrome grinned, hooking her arms around Hibari's neck.

"Good to hear that. But Chrome-chan, and everyone else, I was recently informed that Chrome's _parents_ will be reaching the hospital soon".

Hibari felt Chrome froze.

~.~.~.~.~

Mitte: Look

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I know, I know, a cliffhanger. But that's what makes things fun and intriguing, don't cha think? :) Stay tune for the next! Thanks for all those who reviewed!


	13. Chapter 13

"Good morning, Mr and Mrs Dokuro," Romario politely greeted the couple with a 45 degrees bow and opened the door to Room 1896 grandly for them.

"Ah, Chrome-chan's parents, nice to see you again after so long," Aunt Sara welcomed them 'cordially' and exchanged handshakes with them. The woman, Chrome's mother, who wore a black lacey dress with double buttons around the abdomen area and a checkered scarf wrapped around her neck, returned the smile, "how have you been, Kobayashi?" However, Aunt Sara could see through her friendly facade and noticed the disgust in her violet eyes when their hands made contact. Chrome's father in a smart business suit flashed a fake grin as well to Dr. Isagari and the rest of the people in the room.

Dino and Kusakabe, being the gentlemen they were, also approached the couple. M.M. and Hibari remained where they were, not bothering to greet them.

"Now, let's get down to business. I don't want to be late for work later," Mr Dokuro said as he pulled stools for his wife and himself. Hibari had already taken a dislike to this man, and grabbed onto his arm to control himself not to bite Chrome's father to death. Flashbacks of Chrome telling him about the cruel ways of abuse that this man in front of him did made his blood boil to a higher level.

Everyone returned to their respective places just as Mrs Dokuro spoke to Chrome, "Chrome dear, how are you? I heard your operation was a success so you can walk now".

"H-Hai, okasan…." Chrome lowered her head under her mother's intense gaze.

"Come on, why are you so afraid to talk to me?" Mrs Dokuro feigned hurt, "did the doctors treat you with quality care and medicine? They didn't abuse you, did they?"

_'The one who abused me was you,' _Chrome wanted to say but could not bring herself to do so, and merely replied, "n-no, they have been really nice to me".

"Huh, is that so?" Mr Dokuro sneered ironically, and Chrome flinched at his bitter tone, "Namimori Central Hospital isn't a first class hospital, I'm surprised to know that they could treat a serious paralysis like yours".

The doctors felt offended but controlled their indignant temper. On the other hand, Hibari would have blurted out, _'who the hell do you think you are to say that?'_ if it were not for Dino who shushed at him. Mr Dokuro shifted his attention to Hibari who still had Chrome in his arms, "oh, and who may you be?"

Hibari did not respond and disregarded the hand that was extended to him. Chrome quickly answered for him when she sensed her father's annoyance, "o-otosan, this is Hibari-san. He is a f-friend of mine".

Mr and Mrs Dokuro raised their eyebrows before bursting into laughter, "your friend? Since when did you have friends? I thought you were always lonely and emotional. Are these guys your so-called friends as well?"

"Y-You mean Dino-san and Kusakabe-san? Yes, they're my friends, not so-called," Chrome bit her lip in nervousness. The others exchanged glances of disapproval at Chrome's parents' attitude toward her. M.M. huffed and folded her arms, "what are you doing here, Uncle and Auntie? Did you come here just to make fun of Chrome?" Mrs Dokuro grinned at her, "how rude of you, M.M. Aren't we allowed to visit our daughter?"

"Apparently, that's not your only intention," M.M. boldly glared at her.

Mrs Dokuro insolently gave her niece a wave of her hand and said, "all right, all right. We came here to bring Chrome to her new home".

Everyone's eyes widened in bewilderment at her announcement and Chrome quivered, "my n-new home?"

"Yes, Chrome. We bought a new mansion in another city where it is nearer to our workplace," Mr Dokuro told her, "it is more convenient for us and the environment is cleaner and more high classed compared to Namimori. We'll be even richer there—"

Hibari interrupted him with a spark of aggravation in his eyes, "don't you dare insult Namimori, herbivore, or I'll bite you to death".

"Oh, Chrome, why on earth did you hang out with such an uncouth person like him?" Mrs Dokuro half yelled at her daughter, "first he wouldn't even shake hands and introduce himself to your father and now he is talking back to us!"

Nagi cringed apprehensively which caused Hibari to retaliate, "and don't you dare blame Nagi when she did nothing wrong".

Aunt Sara interjected before the situation got worse, "d-demo, Mr and Mrs Dokuro, Chrome-chan still needs to rest in the hospital for at least three more days". Mrs Dokuro smiled at her, "oh don't worry, Kobayashi, we didn't say we need to bring her back immediately. We still have some furniture that we haven't moved after all".

"And then? I have to move house with you? No way, okay? I like the current apartment and it's near to _my_ workplace," M.M. said curtly, infuriated by the idea too. Mrs Dokuro's fake smile disappeared by the constant protests, "excuse me, M.M. One versus two. Who wins? Of course it's us!"

"I don't give a ****ing damn, you selfish brats!" M.M. stuck out her tongue.

"Mr and Mrs Dokuro, if I may voice out my opinion," Dino joined in the heated conversation that would soon transform into an argument, "why don't you ask your daughter first? Surely you won't want the transfer to affect her greatly if you didn't listen to her thoughts?"

"It's obvious they don't care about her feelings, bronco," Hibari grumbled.

"Why will it affect her? She doesn't even need to go to school," Mr Dokuro sighed stoutly.

"See what I mean?" Hibari ruffled Nagi's hair to console her. He did not want her to leave Namimori. It would be the same as leaving behind all her precious memories that she created with the people she held dear to her. It would be the same as leaving _him_ behind, and that was something he did not want to become a fact.

"My suggestion," Kusakabe put in, "is you two may leave for the city as you like but let Chrome-san to continue to live with M.M. and Hibari in Namimori. It may be tough for her to adapt to the new surroundings should you move her there". Dr. Isagari nodded, "you shouldn't force her, Sir and Madam. I'm sure she enjoys staying here".

"BE QUIET, YOU PEOPLE!" Mr Dokuro bellowed, making everyone wince, "enough with your balderdash! We came here to inform you of the transfer, not to listen to your protests and opinions! _We_ are Chrome's parents! We make the decisions for her!"

"See! Look how self-centred you are! You never think for your daughter! Do you know it took Chrome one month and two weeks just to learn to walk from our apartment to Namimori Park and the nearby markets independently without my guidance and without falling down?" M.M. shouted in umbrage on Chrome's behalf, her face turning red as though she was sun burnt. Nagi almost cried because of her effort to speak up for her.

"Listen, M.M.," Mr Dokuro warned, pointing a finger at her, "if you don't try to talk to us nicely, I'll go to your parents' graves and carve vulgarities on them". M.M. gaped dumbfounded at him, but Hibari smirked, "wow, using the dead as a hostage? How cowardly. I bet you will be haunted at night and commit suicide out of fright".

Mrs Dokuro lost her cool and stood up, "the nerve of you to curse my husband!"

Hibari also rose to a greater height, with Nagi clinging securely onto his left arm, "you got some herbivorous guts to abuse your daughter as well".

"What proof do you have?"

Hibari out of the blue tugged Chrome's blouse up to reveal her bare back and pointed at an almost invisible scar just below her bra line. "W-What's that?" Dino inquired.

"This," Hibari said with the pride of a detective who had painstakingly uncovered a clue to the mystery of a case, "is a whip mark that cannot be healed and the evidence that Chrome was abused by her horrendous parents". Mr and Mrs Dokuro shuddered as all eyes fell on them, frantically waving their hands in denial, "n-no! We didn't do anything like that! That scar was because she fell down! Eh? No, sorry we remembered wrongly! It was because a cat scratched her!"

"Don't try to run away from your guilt. I have another piece of evidence," Hibari slipped off one of Chrome's sandals and showed her ankle which was redder than the other one, "Chrome told me her mother purposely spilled hot water on her leg to 'discipline' her". M.M. nodded her head ferociously when she took a glance, "that's right! I remember that! I brought her to the doctor and he said the burnt on her ankle cannot be healed either".

"Oh, this thing here is also another one of my evidences," Hibari pointed his thumb monotonously at M.M.

"What the hell do you mean by _'this thing'_?!"

Hibari smirked proudly at his success to push Mr and Mrs Dokuro into a tight spot, seeing how they could not search for words to deny their crimes. They shivered under the glares and silent arrows of resentment stabbing their backs. In the end, they decided to vent their anger on Chrome.

"It's all your fault, you stupid girl! You just can't shut your big mouth, huh?!" Mrs Dokuro ran forward to shake Chrome out of her trance and probably slap her, but Hibari pulled the trembling girl behind him protectively.

Dino, feeling querulous by her action, yelled, "hey! You two are a child's parents! How could you do something as harsh and relentless as child abuse, especially when she was innocent? What made you think she deserved it?"

Mrs Dokuro snarled, "this child was a mistake".

Chrome felt the world crumble beneath her feet. She had a huge desire to dig a hole and hide herself in there in order for her not to listen to whatever bad thing her mother was going to say.

"I never wanted to have this child".

_'Yamete… Yamete… Don't continue… I don't want to hear anymore…' _

"Not when I had developed gonorrhea. That was the reason why she was born blind".

Everyone was horrified as the words resounded in their heads, and was even more shocked when Chrome burst into hysterical tears, gripping onto Hibari like a baby kola bear. Hibari wrapped his arms around her soothingly, stroking her back in the attempt to comfort her.

"Well, at least I was treated and could still live a happy life with my dear husband," Mrs Dokuro interlocked her hands around Mr Dokuro's arm, and pecked his cheek affectionately.

"What? Don't you feel any remorse at all? You ruined Chrome-san's life!" Kusakabe exclaimed irascibly.

"She was a pain," Mr Dokuro snorted insensitively, "she caused us so much trouble and humiliation when our friends gave us weird looks when we told them the cause of her blindness. Taking care of a child like that is also an obstacle to our careers. We strive to become richer than we already are then we can fulfill one of our dreams to go on tours around the world whenever we please!"

Aunt Sara stood up abruptly from her seat, "this is too much, Mr and Mrs Dokuro! You're neglecting Chrome-chan for your own selfish reasons. What kind of mother and father are you?"

"Oh great, you understand now, Chrome? Because of you, we have to suffer all this shame of being criticised for not be 'good enough' as your parents!" Mr Dokuro raised his hand to hit Chrome but Hibari clenched his arm in amazing speed.

"Don't touch me," the businessman hissed.

"Not unless you put down your arm," Hibari squeezed him tighter and Mr Dokuro twitched slightly at the pain. In a feat of rage, he used his free hand to grasp Hibari's left arm and then the two men engaged in a battle of crushing each other's limbs until one of them admitted defeat.

"Stop it, both of you!" Dino and Aunt Sara pried Hibari off with much needed force while Kusakabe and Dr. Isagari desperately pulled Mr Dokuro back. They shook their arms to wear off the numbness, glaring at the other like two wild dogs posing for a fight.

Hibari went back to Nagi's side who hugged his waist anxiously. Mrs Dokuro outstretched her finger at Chrome in indescribable fury, "the one who destroyed our peaceful lives was you! You are the same as your dead brother, never being of any use and only knew how to defy us! You two are trash that should never exist in this world!"

"STOP IT! STOP INSULTING ONICHAN!" Mrs Dokuro's heartbreaking words were enough for Nagi to muster all her courage to defend herself and express her deep hatred. Everyone was extremely astounded to witness the quiet timid girl shout at the people she feared.

"Don't talk bad about Onichan! He was the only one who loved me back then, he didn't care about himself if it meant saving me, his little sister who shouldn't deserve his unyielding kindness and care. He was the only one who thought of me as someone dear, someone important to him!"

Nagi's weak legs had gone to sleep and she collapsed to the floor, Hibari worriedly supporting her by her shoulders.

"Okasan, otosan, I will not leave with you for the city. I will not sacrifice Namimori and my friends who will pull me up whenever I fall down and love me just the same. They are different. They accept me even if I'm blind. I will not follow the people who abused me and stole my childhood!"

Chrome's parents stared in wide eyed astonishment at her. Never had she talked to them in this way. Dino gave her a thumbs-up sign though she could not see it, and they all knew that Mukuro was smiling down proudly at his sister who finally had enough bravery to fight back.

Thinking this was the right time, Dino summoned his men who led the police officers into the room. Everyone watched in utter surprise as the couple struggled against the handcuffs locked around their wrists and Dino announced, "Mr and Mrs Dokuro, for illegal child abuse, you are to face the punishment of imprisonment and fine of I'm not sure how much but anyway, as compensation for your daughter, and since you're so bastardly wealthy, you are required to pay for the money spent on her healthcare during her close to one month stay in this hospital".

"What? That's so unreasonable! We refuse".

"You are handcuffed and yet you got the guts to say that? Do you want me to personally bite you to death?" Hibari drew out one of his tonfas intimidatingly, "and wait, let me remind you that I insist on paying for the operation cost".

"Chill man, Kyoya, and okay, we got it," Dino laughed, _'he's still saying crazy things…'_

"What's going on?" Nagi asked in confusion at the commotion. Aunt Sara tapped her shoulder rather sympathetically, "Chrome-chan, the police are arresting your parents for abusing you".

"E-Eh? Doushite? Iie, let them go!"

"Nagi, you're too kind. They don't need it," Hibari knelt down and caressed her cheek tenderly, "the imprisonment will make them learn their lesson".

"B-But…they didn't have to go that far…." Nagi whimpered.

"It's all right, Nagi. They will be fine," Hibari reassured her, connecting his fingers with hers.

A policeman approached her and enquired, "do you have anything else to say to your parents before we take them away?"

"….. O-Okasan! Otosan!" Chrome called out, "w-would you like me to visit you in your jail?"

Mrs Dokuro growled, "and remind us of whatever we so-called owe you? No way! You're at fault for our predicament!"

Chrome felt terribly hurt at the rejection, but Dr. Isagari said, "she meant well, Madam. You should be blessed that you have a daughter who is willing to forgive you regardless of everything you did". The couple rolled their eyes and was escorted by the men in blue out of sight, off to be cramped between brick walls and iron bars that would make them reflect on their unacceptable actions.

"Hahhh…. Those rich bastards are gone at last," Dino heaved a sigh of relief after the chaotic charade, but apologised when he saw Chrome's sober face, "I-I'm sorry, Chrome! I didn't mean any offence!"

"It's okay, Dino-san," Nagi smiled, and staggered to her feet. Hibari remained on the floor with one knee, staring into Nagi's beautiful eye while holding her smooth hands.

The next sentence that came out of Hibari's mouth became a shocking milestone that would forever be embedded in the witnesses' lives.

"Nagi, when we grow up," Hibari closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling before he decided to spit it out already, _"I want you to marry me". _

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" the whole room shook as if an earthquake occurred due to the enormous echo of the screams of the people.

"K-K-K-KYOYA! ARE YOU OKAY? DO YOU REALISE WHAT YOU JUST SAID?!"

"OH MY ****ING GOD! IS THIS HIBARI KYOYA I'M HEARING THOSE LOVEY-DOVEY WORDS FROM?!"

"H-H-HIBARI-SAN! DO YOU NEED A C-CHECK UP?!"

"OMG! I'M GONNA WIN THE LOTTERY IN THE NEXT ROUND!"

"K-KYO-SAN! IS THAT A P-P-P-PROPOSAL?!"

"Damare, stupid herbivores. This is not a proposal. It is a _serious_ demand," Hibari's face popped a pissed off mark and his last few words were all Dino and, for the first time, Kusakabe needed to faint. Meanwhile, Nagi stood rooted to the spot in blank _shock_.

"H-Hibari-san, I'm sorry. Care to repeat t-that?"

Hibari brushed her hair, "I want to marry you, Nagi. But since we're still young, you can just be my fiancée".

"….." Chrome's hesitation was making Hibari's heart pump faster and his stomach flip. He gently pulled her down to her knees and massaged the back of her neck.

"Even though I'm blind and can be such a burden?"

"I never agree nor do I care about that".

Sensing the determination and sincerity of his voice, Nagi beamed with a tear of utter happiness rolling down her cheek.

"Yes. I will be your future wife, Hibari-san!"

Hibari smiled and kissed Nagi passionately, hugging her warm body as close as possible to his. He finally took the first step to shower the rest of his life with brighter colours. Chrome cried more as everyone clapped and cheered in felicity. M.M. hurriedly kicked the two out cold men to wake them up before the wonderful scene died off.

"Call me by my first name," Hibari whispered in between the kisses. Nagi smiled jollily against his lips.

"Kyoya-kun".

* * *

Kami: God (I forgot this... Sorry)

* * *

How was it? Please review! Thanks a lot especially to _LoverForAnime_ and _96bittersweetblackcat_! :D Sadly, the next chapter will be the **finale**! Look forward to it!~


	14. Chapter 14

Five days flew past and Chrome was now strong and healthy enough to cast away the crutches and go home with her friends. She changed from her patient outfit into her pink long sleeved blouse over a purple camisole and frilly skirt with violet prints, ate her last lunch in the hospital at noon sharp and reluctantly bid Aunt Sara, Dr. Isagari and other doctors or nurses goodbye.

Between the tears shed plus bright smiles as she hugged them in a mixture of gaiety and misery and waved them farewell while moving further away in a taxi Hibari hired, Chrome knew that someday they would be able to meet and have fun together again.

"We'll be waiting for you, Chrome-chan!" those were the last words Aunt Sara said before Chrome rode out of view.

Chrome returned to her apartment and played with Hibird who appeared out of thin air and chirped with fluttering wings as she told him how much she missed him, to the point that Hibari looked a little jealous. M.M. packed Chrome's clothes with the exception of some spare ones and other basic necessities like her migraine medicine into a big luggage. Kusakabe heaved the luggage into the boot of the taxi, and after watching Chrome and M.M. exchanged hugs and farewell wishes, opened the door for the 'princess' and 'prince' to enter into the rear seat while he himself sat at the front to direct the taxi driver to the Hibari residence.

"Come back anytime you want! And don't you forget to call home every now and then, baka!" M.M. shouted and sniffed with teary eyes as the vehicle drove off until it seemed as small as a puny ant, "damn it! I've infected the crybaby genes from her!"

* * *

Nagi literally spun Hibari with her as she danced sprightly around the living room of her new home, and Hibari even had to hold tight to her to prevent her from flying off or knocking anything down. Kusakabe excused himself and texted a SMS message to Dino to inform him of Hibari and Chrome's safe arrival home.

"I'm so happy, Hiba— I mean Kyoya-kun! We're finally home!" Nagi squeaked cheerfully, jumping up and down like an enthusiastic young girl playing in the theme park. Hibari chuckled and carried her up so that he would be eye to eye with her. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. Kusakabe took a peek and winked at Hibird with a finger to his lips. The little canary, understanding the indication of a "shh…", made the same sign with his wing cutely, and the two of them set off elsewhere to leave the couple to their own privacy.

"I feel honoured to be your fiancée, Kyoya-kun," Nagi leant forward a bit and kissed Hibari's lips gently, "but don't you think we need to seek permission from my father first? Since I'm sure you do follow the Japanese tradition".

"I don't care about that if we have to ask from that herbivore. And I doubt your father will mind," Hibari brought Chrome to the kitchen and set her on the dining table. His left hand secured itself on her hip and he whispered to her ear seductively, "you're mine".

Nagi gasped as Hibari attached his lips to her neck. His feather light kisses gradually switched to rough sucks and licks which caused Nagi to bite her lip. She gently placed her palm on his chest and felt the calm rhythm of his heart. She arched her head back slightly as Hibari kissed her jawline and behind her ear and she moaned when his right hand rubbed her side in an up and down manner. Running out of patience by his surging urges, Hibari grabbed her face and crashed his lips against hers, muffling her moans which aroused him to no end. Nagi flinched when Hibari's tongue permeated through her mouth and battled with hers fiercely before slowly turning to a more modest, languorous touch.

They broke apart for half a minute for air before Hibari kissed her delicate lips again like a hungry wolf, but this time releasing from her at a faster rate, much to Chrome's disappointment. "Eh…why did you stop, Kyoya-kun? Kiss me moooore!~" Chrome pouted, making Hibari almost laugh out loud. "Don't you want to visit Nami Middle?" Hibari asked, lifting her up from the table and onto her feet. "I do, but I want you to kiss me one more time. Please?" Chrome activated her 'weapon' and blinded Hibari with her huge shining adorable puppy eyes.

"How can I say no to a face like that?" Hibari granted her request, and led her to the bathroom to change into her school uniform.

* * *

"PWUUUUUUFFFFFF!"

"WHOA!" Yamamoto exclaimed as he glanced at his drenched uniform.

"HIIIIE! G-GOMENASAI, YAMAMOTO! GOMENASAI!" Tsuna shrieked in terror as he realised that his humongous astonishment to the big news that Kusakabe just announced to them had caused him to spit out all the lemonade that he was drinking on Yamamoto who unfortunately sat across him. Gokudera's reaction was also huge and spilled his cup of tea as he screamed dramatically, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Hahaha! It's no problem, Tsuna! But really, that _is_ surprising," Yamamoto grinned gleefully.

"Oh dear, maybe I shouldn't have told you that when you are drinking," Kusakabe sweat-dropped in amusement.

"But Kusakabe-san, are you really serious?! Hibari-san got himself a _fiancée_?!" Tsuna cried out in disbelief, thinking that he probably had forgotten to dig his ears to hear such seemingly impossible things. Gokudera was slapping himself repeatedly to wake himself up and determine whether he was getting the facts right. Yamamoto was eager to confirm Kusakabe's statement as well.

"Yes, Sawada-san. That is true. I'm sure you noticed the blind eye patched girl. She is Hibari's fiancée".

According to Gokudera's accurate calculations, Tsuna fainted 5.4 seconds after freezing like an ice statue, and Yamamoto's loud laughter lasted for a continuous 30.5 minutes until after they carried Tsuna to the infirmary and the first lesson started.

"UMA! SUGOI! First you possessed Hibari to take the initiative to take care of a human in the hospital and now you changed him to be capable of finding a freaking fiancée! I'LL BOW DOWN TO YOU!"

"OMG! I LAUGHED SO MUCH THAT MY STOMACH ACHES AND MY VISION IS BECOMING BLURRY BECAUSE OF MY TEARS! GWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

Hibari's cellphone vibrated in his pocket and a text message from Dino blinked on the screen.

_'My law book states that since Kyoya is younger than I and has not fully grown into an adult yet, he strictly has no right to get a fiancée'._

Hibari groaned irately and was not going to bother replying when a mischievous idea to tease Dino came to his mind and he began typing with his thumb.

_'My law book states that whatever the bucking bronco said is plain rubbish and I will do whatever I want about my engagement. Those who try to interfere will be bitten to death without any mercy'. _

_'My law book states that in the case that Kyoya is being overly stubborn his next associate which is Hibird shall bear the consequences in his place. Hibird shall be at risk of being roasted to death and served at my mafia bosses' dinner party this Friday'. _

_'Bucking bronco, be prepared to see your pet turtle deprived of its shell and I shall give the Disciplinary Committee the task of ordering some eagles to feed on its unprotected body'._

_'NOOOOOOOO! Don't kill my Enzio! You win for now, Kyoya but I still protest against your random engagement with Chrome. Her virginity is ruined by you! Oh wait, I shall post about you making out with Chrome online as blackmail. I'll see how you try to deny it. Muahahaha!' _

_'Go ahead, stupid herbivore. You think I will be afraid of something like that especially when it does not have photos as evidence? You better swim back to Italy right now or you won't get to see another day when I find you. And hopefully you will be hunted by sharks on your way back and they can bite you to death on my behalf'. _

_'Kyoya shall be imprisoned and tortured for cutting my life span shorter. Give my warmest regards to Chrome, Kusakabe, Tsuna tachi and your delicious roasted chick for me! Sometimes I really feel like becoming a permanent resident of Nippon so that I don't have to keep flying back and forth for business. Anyway, take care of yourself, Kyoya! If you don't invite me to your wedding I shall send assassins after you! Ciao!' _

Dino grinned in euphoria at his message to Hibari. Blessed and satisfied that this was the longest (and the only) conversation with his 'student', he stretched his arms lazily and fell into a deep slumber on the airplane trip back to Italy.

* * *

Chrome felt the motorcycle slow to a halt and let her arms go from Hibari's waist. Hibari removed his helmet with a cool _flip_ of his raven hair and did not notice he just unintentionally 'killed' some of his fan girls who rushed to the school front gate to welcome him. He alighted and with a light kiss to her cheek, he carried Chrome off his vehicle like a charming gentleman, ignoring the envious stares and pouts at their interlocked hands as he escorted her into the school.

Hibari remained unfazed by the numerous rumors and gossips spreading around the crowds of people in the school, including the teachers, about his unofficial engagement with Chrome Dokuro. He could care less about others' positive or negative thoughts about them. Kusakabe questioned him about whether he was worried that his reputation as the incredible and untouchable Head of Namimori Disciplinary Committee might be tarnished, but instead the answer was the opposite.

The impression of Hibari Kyoya would be even deeper.

Although emotions such as love had been something Hibari wanted not to associate with by all means because he deemed them to be the source of one's weaknesses, he discovered that if these feelings flickered to life in a person in a brighter radiance of glow, the strength of his willpower would be enhanced. His devotion, his resolve to protect the one he treasured with his life would prevent him from being tied down easily.

It was because of these human characteristics of having emotions that Hibari Kyoya could find greater strength and ardor for the sake of giving his loved one a better life.

Hibari and Nagi spent the entire day in Namimori Middle School together, relaxing on the rooftop under the cover of solitary clouds drifting freely in the vast sky, strolling along the quiet corridors while all the students were engrossed in their lessons, eating scrumptious ramen in comfortable silence and simply enjoying each other's company. They left school in the evening and ended up sitting on a bench in Namimori Park, the place of their first meeting, the place where their friendship began and blossomed into something more meaningful.

Hibari and Chrome's lips were like the north and south poles of magnets in which whenever they were close they would be tempted to be attracted to one another. Hibari sensually wrapped his arms around her in an almost unbreakable embrace and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss full of passion and lechery. Nagi kissed him back with the same amount of love, entwining her arms around his neck.

"K-Kyoya-kun…." Nagi murmured with a mad blushing face, out of breath when he finally let go after a few minutes.

She then overcame her shyness to speak firmly, _"ti amo"._

"What's that?" Hibari asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chrome giggled, "it means _'I love you'_ in Italian. I picked up a bit of the language from my brother who attended some classes".

"Wow, not bad huh?" Hibari smirked, smacking his lips to hers once again, the adrenaline rush within him spurring him on to deepen the kiss.

_"Aishiteru". _

Nagi pulled away and smiled with her entire pretty face, her exquisite eye glittering with pure happiness upon hearing the three lovely words escape from Hibari's mouth.

"I love you too, Kyoya-kun".

Chrome shoved her face into Hibari's chest and hugged him with everything she got.

"I love you, Nagi".

Hibari knew that if ever there was a day that he encountered the question, "how did your relationship begin with the person you have grown to love?", he would answer without a doubt.

"I took the risk to be kind".

It was indeed a risk worth taking.

Kindness, after all, is a language that even the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

* * *

Ciao: Bye (Italian)

Ti amo: I love you (Italian)

Aishiteru: I love you

* * *

**THE END!**

I enjoyed writing this fanfic a lot. I still have to get used to writing romantic scenes though since it's not my type or forte. I hope I managed to keep the characters in their right personalities, especially Hibari 'cause love and him are the two ends of the earth. LOL :D

Arigato gozaimasu to all those who reviewed and to those who read the story from the beginning till the end! Your kind support is very encouraging! I hope I did make some people laugh as you can see one of its genres is HUMOR.

I hope you can understand the story and I will start on my next fic after a while's rest. Adios! :)


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